


Snape Appreciation Month 2020

by masaothedog



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:07:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 22,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24529606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masaothedog/pseuds/masaothedog
Summary: All of my work, both art and fics, for Snape Appreciation Month 2020, hosted by snapeloveposts on Tumblr!
Relationships: Harry Potter/Severus Snape, Remus Lupin/Severus Snape, Severus Snape/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 141
Kudos: 244





	1. Chapter 1

SNAM Day 1: Muggle

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/49968010123/in/dateposted-public/)

The first them was 'Muggle', and I combined my love for Snape and trains, and we got Snape on a train playin gameboy. It looks like a game boy pocket, so this must be at least the mid 90s. He's probably on his way to his job at the worker-owned bakery. I wonder what game he's playing?


	2. Chapter 2

SNAM day 2: The sorting hat chooses a different House

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/49968521671/in/dateposted-public/)

What house do you think Snape would be sorted into if not for Slytherin? I think pragmatism and loyalty are some of his strongest traits, so I think he'd end up in Hufflepuff. Also, I can imagine he'd find a lot of support and acceptance in Hufflepuff! His housemates wouldn't mind that he's a half blood or that he comes from a working class background, and they would encourage his passions in potions making and even spellcrafting. I don't think they'd be so judgmental about an interest in Dark Magic, either.

So for that reason, I think he'd have good friends and even a nice, very affectionate boyfriend ♥♥♥!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I really didn't know what to do with this prompt, but I figured it's possible that if Neville was the 'chosen one', possibly Harry's parents would still be alive? Uh, don't think about that more than a few seconds, just enjoy the premise that I went with here lol.

Day 3: Voldemort chooses Neville AU

Severus walked into the flat that he had been sharing with Potter for the past six months. They’d started dating shortly after Harry had come to work at Hogwarts. He’d spent his first few years out of school as a professional quidditch player, but he got fed up with the fame and attention quickly. When Madame Hooch retired, he jumped at the chance to take her job. Once coworkers, Harry and Severus had the chance to get to know each other as adults, and they quickly found they couldn’t get enough of the time they spent together.

‘Harry?’ Severus called as he set the groceries down on the kitchen counter. He thought he heard his lover talking to someone in the living room. They hadn’t been expecting company. Harry knew that Severus had work to do that evening. He and Longbottom had gone into business together. Longbottom was an herbologist and much more charismatic and likable than Severus. He solicited orders for potions and supplied the ingredients, and Severus would make the potions and send them off. They split the income half and half. Severus had several time-consuming potions to make before morning. Surely Harry hadn't invited company over, knowing that.

Listening more closely, he could hear that Harry sounded upset. He quietly shuffled to the door, finding that his boyfriend was on the phone, his expression pinched. Who could he be talking to that would upset him so much? Without a word, Severus walked to the couch and sat down next to Harry, rubbing his back in soft, slow motions. Harry leaned into him.

'I don't care what you heard. It's none of your business who I'm dating,' he said. Severus furrowed his brow. Who the hell...

'Well, I just don't know why you would even care. You stopped talking to me when I came out!' Severus' stomach felt like a rock. Could it be?

Yes. Yes, you did stop talking to me. No, I know you still called, but it was all small talk, and you always changed the subject if I started talking about--'

It was one of Harry's parents. Severus was sure of that. They rarely spoke about them, but he knew that a rift had formed between Harry and his parents when he came out to towards the end of the war. All of the heroism Harry had displayed, supporting Neville in the fight against Voldemort, didn't seem to matter.

'I'm _well aware_ of how old he is, Mum, but I'm a grown man, and twenty years is not such a big deal for wiz--No! He didn't even pursue me, it was the other way around!' Harry's jaw was tightly set. He gripped the edge of the couch so hard, the veins in his hands became prominant. 

'You don't even know him. You haven't spoken to him in over twenty years, so... No!' Harry threw the phone to the floor and put his face in his hands. His whole body trembled and he seemed to be trying to restrain himself from something. Calmly, Severus picked the phone up off the floor and hung it up before wrapping his arms around his lover. The larger man seemed to crumple into his arms, shaking with what must have been sobs. Severus stroked his hair and kissed the side of his face. He knew Harry would have a bad night--he would stay with him throughout.

Neville Longbottom was the saviour of the wizarding world, after all. If the potions were a little late, he could smooth things over with the customers.


	4. Chapter 4

SNAM Day 4: Severus Snape has a sibling 

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/49968521576/in/dateposted-public/)

My thought for this one was that Eileen and Minerva would get married after the war, and they adopt a child from foster care. This kid ends up really looking up to their new big brother because they are also GNC :3 So that's why I thought... Snape painting his sibling's nails in Eileen's living room <3


	5. Chapter 5

Day 5: Headmaster Snape 

They were supposed to meet outside Snape's office at 4:30 and walk to the staff meeting together. Harry was fifteen minutes late. Ron loved that they were once again at Hogwarts together. What he wasn't so keen on was the fact that Harry seemed to have a more conspiratorial relationship with Snape than he did with him. He understood, considering their relationship. They weren't dating, Ron thought, but they were definitely fooling around. Possibly shagging. He didn't know what Harry saw in the older professor: He was scrawny, greasy, short, and short-tempered. Ron rolled his eyes as he recalled Harry gushing over how 'petite' Snape was and how that was 'incredibly endearing'. 

Harry had a lot of bad luck with dating. Ron acknowledged this. It seemed every guy he went out with only wanted him because he was Harry Potter, and he knew that hurt Harry deeply. So he didn't mind so much if he was sneaking around with Snape, snogging and giggling like teenagers, if it made him happy. Just as long as he didn't have to think about it too deeply. 

The sound of the door opening shocked Ron from his thoughts and he saw the small potions master walk out of his office, proudly smirking. Harry followed him out with a satisfied grin plastered across his face. 

'Thanks, _Headmaster_. I'll see you at the staff meeting,' Harry said, looking very pleased with himself. Snape's cheeks went a little pink and he laughed through his nose and rolled his eyes. 

'Perhaps after, you could return the favour,' he said before walking off down the corridor, the click of his high-heeled boots echoing through the castle. Ron did _not_ want to know what favour was being returned. He turned to Harry, raising his eyebrows. He was afraid to ask about their little inside jokes, but... 

'Harry, why do you always call him "Headmaster"?' he asked. 'Is this... some kind of weird roleplay you have going with him?' Harry gave a hearty laugh. 

'Oh my god, no, Ron. No. Severus is a _head_ master in the same way he's a _potions_ master.'

Ron grimaced. 'I'm sincerely sorry that I asked,' he said, shaking his head. 

He had to admit, though. Harry was happier than he'd ever seen him.


	6. Chapter 6

SNAM Day 6: POC Snape

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/49968010093/in/dateposted-public/)

Hey comrades, it's another Snape Appreciation Month drawing! This one's theme is POC Snape. I've actually seen a lot of fantastic portrayals of Snape as a person of colour, like Elenianz' art ( https://elenianz.tumblr.com/ ) and his portrayal in The Gift of Kindness by hippocrates460 ( https://archiveofourown.org/works/14656377/chapters/33859731 ) to name a few. I was actually someone inspired by the latter because it includes scenes of Snape sharing an aspect of his culture with his choice of date. I ended up drawing Snape as Vietnamese, and he is taking Harry on a date to have Phở :3 It's late in the evening at an outdoor cafe♥


	7. Chapter 7

Day 7: Snape and potions

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/49982696038/in/dateposted-public/)

1993\. Snape has to pretend to hate the man who willl become the new DADA professor, but in actuality, they have had romantic tension between them since they were teenagers. Now that they are coworkers, the tension is irresistable. Remus stops by to visit Severus while he's making something in the lab.


	8. Chapter 8

SNAM Day 8: Snape and the Dark Arts

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/49986284066/in/dateposted-public/)

Hey comrades! This is a pretty loose interpretation of this promp. I could have done so many things, but I couldn’t get this idea out of my head. I don’t know if you’re familiar with my comic Dastardly Lemondrops at all (it's here on AO3!), but in it, the Prince family have a unique kind of magic. Consider this illustration part of the DL canon. Their family has some Siren heritage, so this magic involves singing to do spells. The magic in the person’s voice is channeled through a very specifc kind of crystal, which is only found in lakes, rivers, and the sea in the region of Wales where the Prince family are from. It’s very difficult to find, and perhaps only magical people can find it.

The Ministry considers any form of magic that is not standard, Latinate magic to be Dark Arts. The classification of what is and isn’t a Dark Art is rooted in colonial thinking--which is why Indigenous people in America’s magic has been considered ‘false’ by white American magical folks. This attitude is taken against all regional, folk, and indigenous forms of magic, in an effort to make Latinate magic standard and anything else, however useful or important to someone’s culture, unthinkable.

Eileen taught Severus to keep his singing magic a secret because she knew it would be considered a Dark Art. Perhaps this is why Severus had a strong interest in Dark Arts. After all, what is considered Dark Magic is pretty arbitrary. It’s not just magic that hurts people--the Marauders do that all the time, and it’s not ‘dark’. Who decides what is and isn’t Dark Magic, and why?

So in this illustration, Severus is diving for more of this crystal with his daughter Branwen. She’s learning this form of magic from him, and she’s ready to have a crystal of her own to practice it. Maybe someday, they won’t have to practice this magic in secret.


	9. Chapter 9

Day 9: Severus Snape is a Pureblood 

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/49988569172/in/dateposted-public/)

Severus pounded on Harry Potter’s door. It had taken him a while to find out where the man’s flat was. After a few moments, the younger man opened the door. He towered over Severus, his face was scruffy, he looked like he’d just woken up. It was 3 in the afternoon. The potions professor had not seen Harry Potter since he graduated, four years prior. 

“Sn-snape?” he asked, clearly surprised. “What are you doing here?” 

“I’d like to know where you get off spreading false information about me,” Severus demanded, hands on his hips. 

“False... what are you talking about?” Harry asked. A high-pitched bark echoed from behind him. 

“You’ve been telling people I’m a pureblood!” he said. “I can’t imagine why. It’s not as if that would--” 

“Purebreed,” Harry corrected. Snape raised his eyebrows in confusion. 

“Ex-excuse me?” he asked. Harry sighed and rolled his eyes. 

“Look, this is kind of embarassing, but I got a puppy. A pomeranian. He’s really cute, small, black fur. So I named him uh... I named him Severus Snape.” Potter chewed his lip. 

“You... named your dog after me?” Snape asked, nonplussed. Harry nodded sheepishly. 

“May I... meet my namesake?”


	10. Chapter 10

Day 10: Severus Snape’s first kiss 

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/49992495087/in/dateposted-public/)

Just couldn’t resist drawing more Snupin... I think they’d be a really sweet, shy, hesitant couple as teenagers. They’d like eachother very much and be very tender but so shy ★~(◡‿◡✿)


	11. Chapter 11

Day 11: Severus Snape is a literal prince from an actual kingdom

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/49995219778/in/dateposted-public/)

I’ll be honest... I really didn’t know what I’d do with this one. I was really not into the idea of drawing Snape as any kind of monarch. But then, I thought... Pyotr Kropotkin was also a prince at some point.

So what if Prince Severus of Serpentia abdicated his throne, out of believe that the monarchy was inherently oppressive to common people? And he himself became a commoner, struggling alongside his comrades for liberation?

Of course, Harry is right beside him <3.

ʰᵃʰᵃ ᴵ'ᵐ ˢᵒʳʳʸ, ᴵ ᵗᵒᵗᵃˡˡʸ ᶠᵃᶦˡᵉᵈ ᵃᵗ ᵗʰᶦˢ ᵖʳᵒᵐᵖᵗ


	12. Chapter 12

Day 12: Dark Lord Snape

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/50001377457/in/dateposted-public/)

Um... I don’t know. I didn’t like the idea of him being an earnest Dark Lord ruling over people. So uh... he’s a dominatrix for a living, post war? He’s uh, got that tankie aesthetic. It’s just an aesthetic, though, he’s still an anarchist<3


	13. Chapter 13

Day 13: Severus Snape is adopted by another family

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/50007857653/in/dateposted-public/)

When Voldemort returned in the summer of 1994, he was eager to weed out his deserters and punish them accordingly. First on his list was Severus Snape. He was easy to find and didn't seem at all surprised when Voldemort came to kill him. The Dark Lord had waited until Snape went into Hogsmeade to restock his potions supplies. It was over in seconds--just a quick Avada Kedavra, and then he apparated away. Onlookers rushed quickly to the corpse, only to find Severus warm, breathing, and tiny. Tinier than he already was, that is. 

What Voldemort had not known was that in 1978, as she lay dying, Eileen Snape used her last bit of magic to work some spell of her own creation on her son. She knew he'd taken the dark mark, and she knew that Voldemort likely saw her son as his most disposable follower. Severus, after all, was a half blood, and she knew how truly ambivalent he was about Voldemort's cause. She knew one thing about this spell: if ever her son was killed, it would restore his life. She couldn't imagine just how it would do that. 

There in the street lay 9 year old Severus Snape. He was rushed back to Hogwarts where Madame Pomfrey looked over him, only to find that he was healthy, if a little malnourished. He was confused, asking where he was, asking for his mother. 

The next week was awful for the young boy. He was told that more than 20 years had passed without his knowledge, and his mother was long dead. He grieved her bitterly, and the Hogwarts staff we at a loss as to what to do with the boy. He had to be kept safe, but he needed to be cared for and nurtured as well. 

Albus Dumbledore gathered the members of the Order of the Phoenix to find someone willing to look after Severus. Fabian and Gideon Prewett had brought along their sister and brother in law who immediately lept at the opportunity to care for the little boy, sight unseen. Molly had just sent her youngest off to Hogwarts a few years before and she missed having a child around the house. She had known and respected Severus as an adult--his first year of teaching was Bill's first year of school. 

He was a remarkably shy and reserved boy when first he went to live with the Weasleys. He barely said a word and wasn't very forthcoming when asked which foods he liked and disliked. Molly understood that he had already experienced a lot of trauma in his short life, so she gave him time and space to adjust, showing him to his room and allowed him as much time alone as he needed. The little boy clearly found his new foster siblings overwhelming, especially the strange way they looked at him as if he might explode at any moment. 

Once summer was over and the Weasley children were out of the house, Severus started opening up, very slowly, to his foster parents. He liked helping Molly in the kitchen with the cooking--something Tobias would have never allowed. Molly mused to herself that he looked like he was stirring a potion as he stirred batter for a cake in a mixing bowl. Arthur would speak to him in very gentle, soft tones, and didn't try to change the way he walked or talked like Tobias had. He'd always criticised Severus for being a 'sissy' when he spoke in high excited tones, gesturing with his hands, or for walking 'too much like his mother'. 

Arthur tried to teach Severus chess. Although Severus was very clearly pretending to enjoy himself, Arthur could see that he was not having a good time. After he put the chess set away, Severus went to the sofa to sit and watch Molly work on her needlepoint, utterly fascinated. After a little while, she started to teach him, and he took it over, losing himself in the repetitive, methodical motion of pushing and pulling the needle, creating a floral image. Severus found it soothing. Arthur smiled at the sight of the two of them, glad Severus had found something he enjoyed. 

'You liked working on the needlepoint, right?' Molly asked Severus the next morning after breakfast. His face went red, and he made a thin line with his lips. He nodded cautiously, as if he wasn't sure she wanted him to like the needlepoint. She smiled broadly and he breathed deeply in relief. 

'Would you like to learn to sew, as well?' she asked. He nodded excitedly. As she taught him some basic stitches, she said, 'If you learn to sew, you can make whatever sort of clothes you like, as long as you have the fabric.' Severus had been wearing Ron's hand-me-downs. They didn't suit him; Ron was a bigger boy, and his clothes looked strange on Severus. 

'I could make you a few things of your own to wear. Would you like that?' she asked. He nodded shyly. He'd never had much in the way of clothing that was _his_. Molly knew as an adult, Severus favoured tunics over robes and trousers. She showed him a drawing of one in a book of sewing patterns. 

'Do you like this style of clothing?' she asked. He nodded excitedly. So his tastes had not changed so much, she saw. 'I could make you something like that. Let's look at the fabric I have and pick out some nice ones, all right? Maybe two, to start out.' She laid several bolts of fabric out on the table. There was a small array of colours and patterns. Severus looked over them eagerly. One, a black fabric covered in pink roses, took his breath away. He lingered over it, just barely running his fingers over it. He tensed when he became conscious of Molly looking at him. He tore himself away from the fabric and found a very drab dark grey. 

'This one is probably best,' he said, looking at the floral one out of the corner of his eye. He forced himself to look for another that would be acceptable to him. There was a lavender one with an abstract floral design in darker purple that he loved, but he knew it would not be appropriate for him. His eyes landed on a an olive green. It looked like it might have been upholstery fabric. 'And this one.' His voice was flat as he made his suggestions. Molly tutted. 

'Are those really the ones you like, dear?' she asked, rubbing her hand on his back gently. He immediately pressed into her side. She had quickly found after he moved in that he craved affection. 'You seemed to like this one quite a bit.' She pointed out the black one with the pink roses. His face went red and he hid it against her side. 

'Wouldn't you like one with that fabric?' she asked gently. He shrugged and didn't stop hiding his face. 'It would be all right if you did want that one, you know? There's nothing wrong with you liking or wearing sometrhing like that.' Severus started to cry. 

'But... my dad doesn't like for me to... to like things that are for girls,' he said between sniffles. Tobias had not approved of his tendency to wear Eileen's blouses. He had hit him when he'd dare to get into one of her dresses. Molly hugged him. 

'Flowers are for everyone, Severus. And so are whatever kinds of clothes you'd like to wear,' she said. She didn't much care for Tobias Snape's parenting style. 'Arthur and I don't care whether you're masculine or feminine or whatever. We like you just the way you are, and we want you to be able to express yourself however you want.' 

'So... it's okay if I want the ones with flowers?' he asked, still sniffling. His cheeks were wet with tears. 

'Of course, my darling.' 

Molly let Severus help with making his tunics. When they were done, she surprised him with a few pairs of tights he could wear them with. He was so overjoyed, he let out a little scream and went upstairs to try his new clothes on, choosing the black one with the pink roses first. Molly had added a matching pink trim. He put it on with the tights and spun around in front of the dingy old mirror. Feeling more free than he ever had in his whole life, he ran down the stairs to show his foster mother, who gave her enthusiastic approval before leading him to the kitchen to work on dinner. 

It all felt too good to be true sometimes, Severus thought. He felt like he belonged with the Weasleys, just exactly the way he was.


	14. Chapter 14

Day 14: Snape's Best Lines

'I liked that one a lot more than the last one we went to see,' Harry said as they walked to Snape's car from the cinema. Severus had taken his abrupt retirement from Hogwarts after the war as an opportunity to be as self indulgent as possible, which for him meant leaning into his muggle side and buying a used 2-door Volkswagen Golf. It was practical and compact, just like him. He and Harry had just gone to watch Red Dragon. 'A lot less cannibalism than I might have expected, though'. 

'If you want cannibalism, I have the other two movies on VHS,' Severus said as he started up the ignition. They were going back to his cottage, after all. 

'Hm, I should get you a DVD player for your birthday,' Harry mused, putting his large hand on Severus' denim-clad thigh, and Severus sucked in air sharply. They were still in the stage of their relationship that this was enough to make his jeans tighten rapidly. Severus side-eyed him and considered giving him a lecture on the dangers of distracted driving. His cottage was only a ten minute drive, though. It wasn't a large town. 

'I'm perfectly happy with what I have. Shall we stop and get something to eat on the way home?' 

'Maybe I'll just eat you,' Harry said with his customary goofy smile and laugh. Severus flushed and went even harder in his jeans. They'd only been dating a few months, and they'd only recently progressed from snogging to fooling around--and that had been just a hand down eachothers' trousers. Severus imagined Harry's full lips wrapped around him, and--No, he needed to concentrate on the road. 

'You know, because cannibalism?' Harry added. He had the tendency to explain a joke as soon as he said it on the assumption that everyone was as thick as him. For once, Severus had needed the clarification. He deflated with a sigh. What he'd imagined was not in the cards for the evening, it seemed. ' _Oh_ , though it seemed you had something else on your mind?' Harry's smile grew wide and his thick black eyebrows raised in suggestion. Severus' face went red. 

'I don't have any expectations,' he said flatly. Harry smirked and moved his hand over the very apparent bulge in Severus' jeans. Severus gasped and nearly drove into oncoming traffic. Almost home, he told himself. 

Finally they pulled up to his modest cottage. As they got out of the car, the smell of salt water and the sound of waves crashing on the shore hit them. Both of them had commented before on how comforting it was to have constant reminders that they were nowhere near Hogwarts. They walked quickly to the door, which Severus unlocked with magic. Once inside with the door closed, Harry wrapped his arms around Severus, leaned down, and kissed him enthusiastically for about 30 seconds before he tripped and both of them fell to the floor with a thud. Severus spelled the lights on. A large cauldron was near the door. 

'I really wish you would confine these things to one room,' Harry said as he picked both of them up. They walked to the sitting room, which also had a cauldron in one corner. Harry gestured to it as if he was proving some kind of point and Severus just rolled his eyes. The two of them sat on the sofa and immediately, Harry was on Severus, kissing his smooth jaw and neck. He lingered on the scars there as he sneaked his hands up the bottom of Severus' shirt. He knew how sensitive the smaller man's nipples were. Within moments, Severus was gasping and whimpering and bucking up against nothing. Harry took care of that in short order, unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans and pulling them down with his pants. Severus shivered--usually they didn't remove their trousers, but he was now naked from hip to knee. He felt exposed as Harry had never really gotten this good of a look at him. He squeezed his pale thighs together, unsure if he meant to hide his cock or the thin pink scars that decorated his thighs. Harry didn't say anything; he just yanked Severus' jeans and pants off the rest of the way before crouching between his smooth legs, and then stared at the cock in front of him with a mix of excitement and intimidation. Not that it could have been a very intimidating cock to Harry, Severus thought. The other man was nearly a foot taller than him and twice his size in nearly every other way. He could imagine that Harry was far more well-endowed than him, as he himself was on the small side of average. Could it be, Severus wondered, that Harry had never sucked anyone off before? Something about that thought gave Severus an excited chill down his spine. 

Taking a deep breath, Harry bent forward and licked the underside. Severus gasped and gripped the sofa cushions. No one had done this since Karkaroff, and that was _eight years ago_. He let out a shaking moan as Harry closed his mouth over it. He took a good long while to figure out a rythm, alternating between bobbing his head and sloppily licking the thing. He clearly had no idea what he was doing, and Severus was surprised that the Boy Who Lived managed to make it into his 20s with this little experience. Not that Severus had experience any younger, but Harry was popular. Desired by magical people of all genders. He could have his pick. 

Harry's lack of experience did nothing to lessen Severus' enjoyment. Harry could easily take all of him into his mouth and didn't seem to mind if Severus thrust into it. It felt more wonderful than he could have imagined, and it was over within minutes. Severus breathed shakily, and he nearly went hard again when he saw that Harry had cum dripping down his chin as he smiled sheepishly. 

'I hope that was okay. I know I must not be very good at it,' he said, biting his bottom lip. Sitting up, Severus scourgified Harry's face. He didn't want Harry to have to pick dried cum out of his scruff. 

'It was very nice, actually,' Severus replied as he caught his breath. Harry shrugged as if to say he didn't think so. 

'Really, I loved it,' Severus reassured, pulling Harry into an embrace. He then noticed Harry's large bulge in his own trousers. He shivered with excitment, imagining that huge thing in his mouth. 

'No, I was rubbish at it,' Harry said, thought he didn't look insecure. He was smirking. 'You should teach me the proper way, Professor.' Severus sniffed in laughter. As if Severus didn't have every intention of sucking Harry off in return. 

'Only if you assure me that you'll be a better student at this than you were at potions,' he said as he shifted to the floor to kneel. He made quick work of unfastening and unzipping Harry's trousers and pulling his impressive cock out. He looked at it hungrily. It was thick as well as long with a slight curve. His lips weren't the only thing he wanted to wrap around it. He looked up at Harry with a smirk of his own.

'You are here to learn about the subtle science and exact art of cock-sucking,' he said in barely more than a whisper. Harry caught every word. His lip twitched in amusement, and his cock twitched in anticipation. 'As there is little foolish _wand-waving_ here, you may hardly believe this is a blowjob. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of slow-moving tongue with its intricate manouvres, the delicate power of liquids that creep down human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bring forth pleasure, evoke excitment, even elicit a little death.' Harry was vibrating with restrained laughter. 

'Potter!' said Snape suddenly. 'What would I get if I shoved your cock entirely down my throat?' Harry gasped and went wide eyed just before Severus wrapped his lips around Harry's cock and pushed his head to the base of it, swallowing the length with ease. Harry immediately shuddered and came down his throat.


	15. Chapter 15

Day 15: Snape’s Strengths

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/50139002696/in/dateposted-public/)

I think his greatest strength is continuing to endure unbearable conditions while being such a sensitive and emotional person. It’s kind of sad, though.


	16. Chapter 16

Day 16: Snape’s potential careers

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/50141037706/in/dateposted-public/)

‘Damn, you’re so good at that, you could do it professionally.’

That’s what Harry, professional quidditch player, would say any time his husband rubbed muscle soothing ointment (that he’d made himself) on the larger man’s achy body after a match. Over the months of their relationship, it’d evolved from a simple application of the oitment to a full-body massage.


	17. Chapter 17

Day 17: Severus Snape’s pet 

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/50145807356/in/dateposted-public/)

Can you tell I love the “Snape retires from Hogwarts and starts living a semi-muggle life” trope? 

So maybe he works for a worker-owned apothecary and lives in a mixed magical and muggle town. The apothecary is owned and operated by him, another brewer, and a few herbologists together. It’s satisfying work, not having a boss to answer to, so although he’s tired when he gets home, it’s a good kind of tired. 

What makes it even better is the very excited, wiggly dog, Petra Kropupkin, that greets him when he gets home. He just has to lie on the floor and hug her for half an hour to replenish.


	18. Chapter 18

Day 18: Your favourite spell invented by Severus Snape

It was 1993. Remus Lupin had taken the DADA position, and Snape had to act pissed off about it. He was. At first. However, late night arguments in the staffroom had resulted in listening, understanding, and forgiveness. Within the first month of Lupin's arrival, they genuinely enjoyed spending time together, talking about the students, about their interests, even about their lives. They found themselves confiding in eachother. When each eventually mentioned his romantic inclinations for men, an awkward atmosphere laden with potential for something more settled over them. 

Of course, the staff and the students still saw them bicker and glare at eachother during the day. They had an unspoken understanding that no one would know that they were friends. Remus knew Severus had a public persona he had to perform, and he knew why. Each day, though, the attraction they felt towards each other became harder for them to deny to themselves. Neither could wait to get through the day and find a quiet corner in the castle to talk, slowly sipping tea that had long gone cold, and spending hours together. 

When the need for sleep forced them to part, Remus would touch Severus' upper arm and say goodnight with a sad smile. This progressed to Remus putting his hand on Severus' shoulder. One night he dared to touch the small of the shorter man's back and pull him close. Any worry Severus might not be amenable to that much affection dissolved when he laid his head on Remus' shoulder, and they just stood in a half hug for a few minutes before pulling apart to return to their respective quarters. 

When it got to this point, their hearts pounded as they watched the minutes tick by, wanting to see eachother privately once again, to find what potential the evening held for them. 

When Sirius Black broke into the castle and destroyed the Fat Lady's portrait, their plans--and their relationship--seemed to be put on hold. Each of them took their turn searching the castle, Severus growing suspicious of Remus' loyalties and Remus worrying that Severus didn't trust him. Once they both returned to the Great Hall to watch over the students, there was a tension between them. Remus couldn't help but look at Severus longingly, knowing they couldn't talk about it that night. 

'Remus,' Severus whispered, having walked to his side. Remus stiffened in surprise. Severus never called him by his first name unless they were alone together. 'Don't worry. I've cast Muffliato. We can talk.' Remus sighed in relief. 

'Severus, I... I hope you know I don't have anything to do with what Sirius is doing,' he said, speaking softly. Severus could hear the worry in his voice. It relieved his suspicion. Perhaps he was more eager to trust Remus than he was suspicious. 

'Of course,' Severus responded, playing it off as the thought had never crossed his mind. 

'Good, because I would never want anything--Sirius included--to come between us,' Remus said. The moment he did, he thought about the weight of his words. He bit his lip and his cheeks went nearly as pink as the scars on his face. Severus restrained himself from reaching out to touch the other man. They were not alone, he remembered. He'd have to express himself with words alone--something he had a difficult time with in situations like these. 

'I... feel the same. I,' he started. He had to take a deep breath. He was trembling. 'I want to see where this goes,' he whispered. Remus' face shifted instantly. His embarassed smile became warm. His body leaned closer to Severus but he pulled himself back. He couldn't be seen pulling the smaller professor into his arms and running his hand through his black hair. That wouldn't do. He yearned for privacy. He could see longing in Severus' dark eyes for the same. 

'Tomorrow, then,' Remus said. 

'But not in the staffroom,' Severus said. 'In my quarters.' Remus' eyes widened. Severus blushed and continued. 

'Because there will be more scrutiny now that Black has managed to break into the castle,' he said, though his eagerness to convince Remus that was the reason seemed forced. 

'Ah, yes, of course,' Remus said, his response a bit exagerrated. They both knew the reason Severus wanted to be alone with him.


	19. Chapter 19

Day 19: Severus Snape and family

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/50153059836/in/dateposted-public/)

It’s going to be another Dastardly Lemondrops canon one, folks.

Just Snape, cooking breakfast with his kid in Eileen’s kitchen while Eileen canoodles with Minerva. An ideal sort of day. I like to think Eileen and Minerva are married here--Minerva’s wearing a ring, after all. I also think Eileen would have an entire commune, some of these people living in her house, but I didn’t want to crowd the image with randos lol. The world is in turmoil outside, but they have to take these moments to rest and love eachother if they want to fight the good fight.


	20. Chapter 20

Day 20: Severus the spy

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/50155468867/in/dateposted-public/)

There were a lot of things Severus hated about pretenging to be a Death Eater. One of the things he hated most was listening to hours of Lucius Malfoy rambling on inanely, trying to pick out useful details that could save lives or help end the war.

After one particularly tedious afternoon of listening to Lucius speak at length about which foods made the ideal brunch, he had had enough. Ah, the rage inspired by bourgeois excess.

Also, I should mention--Snape’s outfit is inspired by one of Maraich’s in the manga/anime Patalliro! which I highly recommend. It’s a series from early 80s that has maybe one of the first m/m couples as main characters.


	21. Chapter 21

Day 21: Severus Snape and his colleagues

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/50162397328/in/dateposted-public/)

It all started when Potter returned to Hogwarts to work. He was taking Madame Hooch’s old position. He’d spent a few years as a professional quidditch player, and it was just too much stress to continue to be in the spotlight. He wanted to get away from that and have some privacy.

Once he arrived, Minerva’s competetive spirit was lit aflame. It made Snape’s life a living nightmare. Two irritating, competetive Gryffindors constantly trying to provoke him into competition. He had to rope Sinistra into the competition just to have another Slytherin on his side. And it wasn’t just squabbling about quidditch matches anymore. Potter was keen on roping him into playing competetive sports.

‘Do I look like the sort of person who plays a lot of sports, Potter?’ Snape would say. But Potter insisted that it would be fun, that he’d even let him pick the sport. When he relented, Snape said if he had to play a sport, it’d be bandminton. It could be slow, low-impact, and he was unlikely to hurt himself. Of course Sinistra got roped in as well, as they were playing doubles.


	22. Chapter 22

Day 22: Severus Snape and the Death Eaters 

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/50162381508/in/dateposted-public/)

It was well past the point that he knew what they believed in was nothing he wanted to be involved in. He was just too afraid of them to turn his back on them. When they started talking about killing people, it was people like him. Children of mixed magical heritage, witches or wizards who’d married muggles. He knew if he left now, there’s be a target on his back. 

One night, they went on a raid. Severus tried to back out, but it made Voldemort suspicious. Once more, he had to be around these people or risk his life. 

He backed out of the room while some of the others were gleefully torturing their target. Most of them were using cruciatus, but Bellatrix had brought a knife. He cried at the screams he heard, and he cried more at the silence that followed. 

Severus was not a pacifist, and he never would be, especially after that first night. The others reminded him of his father, of the marauders, of every person who had ever chosen to hurt him simply because he was weaker or because they found some aspect inherent to who he was offensive. People like that ruled the world, he knew. Whether they wore ridiculous skull masks and fine robes or suits and ties, and they would continue terrorising and killing for personal gain and for power unless people like him stopped them. 

It was truly that moment that Severus was no longer a death eater. He’d find a way to fight these people because he was not a pacifist. He’d find a way to fight them and anyone like them, by any means necessary.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I highly recommend actually watching the documentary the students watch. You can find it on youtube just by searching the name. It's really informative and a cool part of American history we rarely hear about :3

Day 23: Severus Snape and his students

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/50167269882/in/dateposted-public/)

The first time Snape rolled in the telly to his 7th year class, everyone was confused. Some students had never seen one before, and the ones who had wondered where it would come from and how he’d get it to work when there were no electrical outlets in the potions classroom (or were there?). The small potions professor was clearly exhausted and after some struggle finding the right setting for the VCR to work, he put in the VHS tape. The students had no idea what to expect. Surely no one had made a video about potions and sold tapes.

But no. The 1987 film _Wall Street_ started playing, and Severus sat at his podium, alternatively napping and snacking on some curry-flavoured crisps. Some students looked on at him contentedly crunching with looks of jealousy. He took notice of this.

The next time, he was more prepared. When the students poured into the classroom on Friday afternoon, there was a stack of pizza boxes and some big bottles of fizzy drinks waiting for them on one of the front tables. Everyone chattered excitedly. Some students worried that they may be using the pizzas as potions ingredients, but one Hufflepuff pointed out the paper plates and plastic cups beside the pizza boxes.

The students turned around to the creaky sound of wheels on stone as Snape once again wheeled the telly into the room.

‘No one is to take a second slice before everyone has gotten one,’ he explained. ‘If you don’t like fizzy drinks, you may get water from the sink in the storage room. There will be a quiz on today’s film, so pay careful attention.’

Snape sat down with his own slice of pizza and cup of Diet Coke while his seventh year students watched _Free Voice of Labour: The Jewish Anarchists_.


	24. Chapter 24

Day 24: Disney AU

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/50171027577/in/dateposted-public/)

I was a little torn whether to try drawing in a Disney style or redraw a scene from a Disney movie in my style, with Snape. I ended up going with the latter and chose a seen from The Black Cauldron. It’s not a particularly popular Disney movie, but since I so strongly headcanon the Prince family as Welsh, I went with it, with Snape as Eilonwy and Harry as Taran.

Though I usually draw Harry as quite tall and big overall, I decided to make him more like Taran’s build. It’s not my usual headcanon for him, but I also like him like this! I also changed Eilonwy’s outfit just a little bit to make it more suited to Snape.


	25. Chapter 25

Day 25: No Voldemort AU

The building was raw concrete. Brutalist architecture. Severus loved that. A lot of people thought it looked utilitarian and soulless, but he saw a certain playful charm in the style. The building may be mostly hard edges, but the windows had curved corners that looked friendly. Overall, there was a reassuring comfort in brutalism. The magnificence of Hogwarts didn't feel like it was built for working class boys whose fathers worked in mills. Raw concrete with ivy growing up one side and water stains down the other, though. It made him feel right at home.

It was a newer university, especially by wizarding standards, having been built while Severus was still attending Hogwarts. True to its form, it was actually built for students like himself who couldn't afford any of the prestigious wizarding universities in Europe. Surely, Severus would not be running into any of the marauders here.

The person working in registration gave him his dorm assignment. To his dismay, he found that all first year students were assigned roommates. In all likelihood, it would still be better than living at home, but he had been looking forward to the privacy of living alone. At least whomever it was would be from the same field of study as him. Another potions student. 

He found his room quickly enough. His heart sank at first when he saw that it was a studio with a twin bed just sort of shoved into the corner of the living room and the kitchenette off to one side. He looked for the second bed, and when he couldn't find it, he noticed there were two doors in the room. One let to the bathroom, to Severus' relief, the other led to a closet-sized bedroom. He immediately claimed that one. Whomever his dormmate was could deal with sleeping in the living room. He put his things away in his room and went out to look at the kitchennete. There was nothing in it, so he'd have to cookware and dishes, though he didn't have much money. 

As he was taking stock, the door creaked open. Severus had his head in the cabinet below the counter, and he had to back out of it to see who his roommate was. There was a small chance he'd know him; some of the students came from Hogwarts, but many of them came from all around Europe and elsewhere. He nearly fell on his arse when he saw who it was. 

'Severus?' Lupin said in surprise. He was wearing a sad, shabby jumper. Panic and anger welled in Severus' stomach. 

'What the fuck are you doing here?' he asked, picking himself off the floor and standing at his full height... which was more than half a foot shorter than Lupin's, who was nearly 6 foot tall and gangly. Regardless, Lupin looked sheepish. 

'I'm... starting school here,' he said in a small voice. 

'Why aren't you at Dragonspeak with the other members of the wizarding bourgeoisie?' Severus asked, sneering. Even as he was saying that, he noticed that Lupin's jumper was moth eaten. 

'Because I'm _not_ ,' Lupin insisted, clearly offended. 'Look, I may have hung around with James, Sirius, and Peter, but my family aren't wealthy. My dad uh... I guess you could say he lost his job when I was a kid, and my mum cleans houses.'

Severus furrowed his brow and tilted his head. 

'She's a muggle, Snape. Not that I need to explain my family history to you,' he said, shoving past him and looking around the room. 'There's only one bed.' 

'The other one is in there,' Severus said, gesturing to the door. 'It's mine.' Lupin rolled his eyes and started unpacking. Severus was not giving up that easy, though. 

'The person at registration told me my roommate would be a student from the same department as me. There's no way you're here studying potions!' Lupin sighed wearily and turned around to look at Severus again. 

'Potions and herbology are the same department. It's not a big school, Snape,' he said. Severus grimaced. He supposed he'd have to deal with it. 

'I don't want to see your _friends_ hanging around here,' he spat. 

'James is studying in France, and Sirius and Peter are at Dragonspeak. I don't think any of them want to be seen stepping foot onto Toadsburrough campus,' Lupin responded, his voice full of shame. Severus sniffed derisively. He took it as an insult that Lupin felt his class was something to be ashamed of. Although, hadn't he himself felt that way in the past? 

'Just because they're too priveleged and pampered for it doesn't mean it's not a good school,' Severus said defensively. Lupin shrugged. Severus retreated to his tiny room. 

The two of them almost never spoke. Severus got a job in the campus cafeteria, and he was able to do a lot of his coursework in the school's lab, so he rarely even saw Lupin. From what he could tell, Lupin rarely left the dorm apart from classes. He had no social life to speak of. He'd just sit gloomily and read when he wasn't working on work for school. That wasn't Severus' problem, though. For the first time in his life, he _did_ have quite the social life. 

While he may have been painfully unpopular while at Hogwarts, that was not the case at Toadsburrough. Most of his classmates were also enthusiastic about potions and admired his skill in the subject. He wasn't surrounded by people who thought they were better than him because they came from wealthy families, either. As for his small stature? No one seemed to care anymore. No one, that is, but an older student who also often worked in the school labs. He'd always smile at Severus and call him Half Pint. At first, Severus thought he was being mocked, but when the student, Kyle, started making a habit of sidling up next to him and putting his hand on his back, he realised it was something else. The idea that other guys might like him that way was exciting. He'd only had one boyfriend the entire time he was at Hogwarts, and that relationship had lasted only a few months. It could hardly be called a relationship, Severus thought. He and that Hufflepuff boy, Stephen Abbot, were more like friends with benefits, without the friendship. It came to an end when Stephen decided he was going to be heterosexual from then on, as if that was something one decided.

Stephen was the one and only person Severus had ever slept with, and the last time had been in 5th year. He didn't want to seem too eager with this Kyle guy, but in truth, he was. Every time the larger man put his hand on Severus' back, Severus would lean against him and look up over his shoulder at him with a smirk. It was only a few weeks into term when Severus brought Kyle back to his dorm room, walking past a curious Lupin into his tiny bedroom. 

It felt incredible. Better than he remembered, certainly. Maybe because Kyle was more experienced or maybe because Severus felt more prepared for sex at 18 than he had at 15. Either way, Severus had cried out in pleasure as the other man pounded into him, forgetting that the room had no silencing wards. After, they lay together in his tiny bed. Severus rolled over to wrap an arm around his new lover's chest. Kyle immediately sat up on the bed, grabbing his trousers from the floor. 

'I've really got to go. I have a lot of homework,' he said, getting dressed hastily. Severus could tell he was just eager to get out. He left the room without another word and before putting his shirt on. Dejected, he fell back on the bed. Had he disappointed Kyle? Was that why he left? He got dressed himself and went out to the main room to get something to eat. Lupin stared at him. Wonderful. Now the werewolf knew he was gay.

Kyle wasn't around in the labs that week. Severus got the message. He wasn't interested in a relationship. Severus pretended that didn't hurt him, that he'd just wanted the sex. He definitely didn't want to mope around the dorm, and he definitely wasn't relieved when Lupin had left for the weekend due to the full moon, giving him time and space to do so. By Saturday night, he was restless. He felt self conscious and wanted a little validation. Kyle had found him attractive at first. There was a small wizarding gay pub near campus. Maybe other men would find him attractive. 

He didn't have much in the way of clothes. The nicest thing he had to wear was a pair of worn jeans and a jumper, but the place didn't seem too fancy. He got himself a beer from the bar. He didn't care for alcohol, but he thought he'd stand out if he weren't drinking, and not in a good way. A lot of the men there seemed to be around his age, and he figured they must also be students at Toadsburrough. For a while, he just stood in the corner, sipping slowly at his beer, grimacing a bit when he did. He began to get discouraged as it was clear no one was going to take interest in him while he was just standing up against the wall, and he thought about just leaving. He thought better of it, though, deciding he might at least try to pursue someone. Even if he failed, at least he was putting forth an effort. 

There was a man with dark hair and glasses standing by a window, drinking a cocktail. Severus gathered his courage and tried his best to look casual as he walked up to him. 

'Hey,' he said, his heart pounding. He'd never approached anyone like this. The man looked around and then looked down. His face twisted in laughter. 

'Oh my god, you're an absolute shrimp,' he said. Severus' face felt hot with embarassment. 'Are you even old enough to be in here?' 

'I'm eighteen,' he said, his voice low. He was already turning around to go back to his corner, but he nearly ran right into a broad chest. The man attached to it looked amused. 

'Hey there,' he said with a smile. He had sort of wild, curly brown hair. His shirt was unbuttoned to reveal a hairy chest and a gold chain. 

'S-sorry,' Severus muttered. He started to walk past him, but the man caught his arm. 

'Are you really eighteen?' he asked. Severus blinked at him. 'You told that other guy you were.' 

'Yes, I really am. Do you suppose I could have bought this if I weren't?' he said, holding up his mostly full glass of beer. He assumed this person was about to mock him as well. He just smiled and didn't let go of Severus' arm. 

'Why don't we get a table and get to know eachother?' he suggested. 

The man's name, it turned out, was Justus Bainham. He was in his second year studying charms at Toadsburrough and kept his hand on Severus' thigh under the table the entire time he talked about it. He listened patiently while Severus talked about studying potions before his hand crept higher up his thigh. 

'So,' Justus asked. 'Are you a bottom?' Severus' face went red, shocked at how frankly Justus had asked that. It seemed he was getting the validation he had set out for. 

'Yes,' he answered honestly. They left the pub. Severus had not even drank half of his beer. 

Justus apparently had a roommate he didn't like, so they went back to Severus' dorm. He was shocked to see Lupin sitting in bed against a bunch of pillows as they walked in. Lupin blushed but didn't say anything as the two of them went to Severus' room. 

'Your roommate's cute, too,' Justus said as he pushed Severus back onto his bed. Severus shot him a glare, and he just laughed. 'I'm here with you tonight. Don't be jealous. It makes you less cute.' 

Something about that made Severus glad there were no silencing wards. He didn't hold back. Afterwards, he was cautious about showing Justus affection. Kyle had left in haste when he'd tried to cuddle after sex, after all. 

'Do you want to stay over?' Severus asked. He tried not to sound hopeful. 

'I don't want to give you the wrong impression. I'm not looking to be anyone's boyfriend. I don't want to be exclusive,' he said, running a hand through his curly hair. Severus' heart sank. 'I wouldn't mind doing this again some time, though.' That was better than nothing, he thought. Justus got up and took his time getting his clothes on. He even kissed Severus before leaving, not that it stopped the empty, lonely feelings from coming over him that night. 

Things were more awkward between him and Lupin after that. Severus had brought home two men within the span of a week and had slept with both of them, and he could just imagine what Lupin must think. He wasn't ashamed, though, he told himself. After all, Black had shagged half the girls in his year at Hogwarts, so Lupin must be used to it. It just meant he was desirable. Still, the way Lupin looked at him now made him uncomfortable. As if he wanted to ask him something but was too afraid. Severus assumed he'd just never been around a gay person before. 

Kyle, it seemed, had just been too busy with homework. To Severus' surprise, he approached him again in the lab, very openly affectionate, stroking his back and trying to kiss his neck, calling him Half Pint again. Did he think they were dating? It was confusing for Severus, but they ended up in bed again regardless. Even more confusing, Kyle once again left as soon as it was over. When Severus came out to use the bathroom, Remus was writing on a parchment and looked like he had been crying. 

For a little while, Severus juggled his relationships with Justus and Kyle. Neither, it turned out, wanted a close or longterm relationship. Despite all the sex, it left Severus feeling lonely and insecure. Years of bullying, losing his best friend, and never really making strong friendships after that made him feel like he was repulsive. It was all right as long as his relationships stayed superficial, but no one seemed to want to get very close to him. It must be something about his personality or the way he interacted with people, he thought. 

It was on his mind while he sat in one of his lecture classes, taking notes. Professor Weathers was talking about nonstandard uses of various potions ingredients. Distracted as he was, the topic interested Severus. After class, he approached the professor, a somewhat stout man in his 40s, to talk about his own discoveries with potions ingredients. Professor Weathers, who'd now told Severus to call him Scott, had rich brown eyes that seemed to sparkle when Severus talked about his own potions research. Their chat went on for over an hour before Scott suggested they go to a cafe to continue talking. Scott got a cappucino, Severus got a cup of tea, and they talked for the rest of the evening. They both looked rather regretful when the shop's staff started cleaning and preparing to close. 

'Why don't I walk you to your dorm?' Scott asked as Severus was picking up his bag. 

'Thanks,' he said, accepting, assuming he was just being polite. Halfway there, though, he felt a hand on his back. Men putting their hands on his back, he discovered, was his weakness. The brutalist architecture of the school buildings had some odd little alcoves that provided cover for couples who might want to snog. That was where Severus found himself with this man who was almost certainly as old as his parents. He didn't care though. Scott really seemed to care about what he had to say. It was more than just sex this time. 

'Do you want to come upstairs?' he asked breathlessly between kisses. 

'Your roommate?' Scott asked. 

'He minds his own business. I think he's working on some project with his plants tonight, anyway,' Severus said. 

'A herbology student? So he wouldn't recognise me,' Scott said and Severus shrugged. They went upstairs, passing Lupin on the way, who was indeed working with several small potted plants. He looked a little surprised, but they ignored him. 

Severus assumed it would be more slow, and more gentle, but Scott hungrily gripped at his clothes and pushed him down on the bed on his stomach, proving to be domineering. Severus kept trying to turn over onto his back--he learned from his time with Stephen that he didn't like getting it from behind--but Scott was insistent. Despite Scott's taking quite a while to get off, there wasn't enough stimulation for Severus to cum. When he was finally able to turn over and sit on the bed, still hard, he saw Scott already getting dressed. He felt sick. He thought it would be different this time. 

'Don't tell your roommate who I am, all right?' he said. 'And don't tell anyone about this.' 

'Wh-why not?' Severus asked, hurt. Scott looked at him with an incredulous laugh. 

'Mr Snape, I'm married.' 

Scott ended up being shoved out of the dorm still mostly undressed by a crying, screaming Severus, who slammed the door in his face. Severus slid to the floor with his face in his hands. His blood pounded in his ears as he sat there crying, and the whole world seemed to have melted away. He jumped in shock when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

'Severus? What's wrong? What happpened?' Lupin asked. 'Did... did he do something to you?' Severus wanted to lash out. He didn't like that Lupin was seeing him cry, but the other man had such a genuine look of worry on his boyish face. Snape sniffed a few times. 

'N-no,' he said. 'He was just... he told me he was married after we...' Suddenly he was too shy to say it. After weeks of shoving it in Lupin's face that he was sleeping with multiple men, he felt self conscious. 

'What a jerk,' Lupin said, sitting next to him on the floor. 'But don't you have like two other guys that you're uh... seeing?' Severus glared at him. Lupin shrugged defensively. 

'Neither of them want to be exclusive,' he explained, still sniffling. Lupin nodded in understanding, though he did look baffled. 

'And you want someone to uh... be exclusive with?' he asked. Severus could tell he was uncomfortable. He was uncomfortable talking to a straight guy about his lovelife, too, but he was too upset to turn away company. 

'Yes. I want a relationship. I don't want to be someone's fuck buddy, but that's all I've ever been to any guy I've been with,' he said, drawing his knees up to his chest. 'I must just be repulsive.' 

'I don't think that's true... In fact, I'm sure of it. I know there is a guy out there who would absolutely love to be with you. Not just for sex, but who would totally fall for you,' Lupin said, speaking with a shocking level of conviction. Severus furrowed his brow and looked at him like he had three heads. 

'How the hell are you so sure of that?' he asked. Lupin hadn't sounded like he was bullshitting him. Lupin suddenly became tense and shrugged. 

'I don't know. I just think you're a nice guy and you're passionate about, you know, your potions. I just figure that's what people look for in a relationships,' he said. He quickly changed the subject. 'You want a pizza or something? It's on me.' 

They went out to a small pizza place that was open late. There weren't many other people there. To his shock, Severus was able to open up about the things that he'd been feeling, about how distressing he found it that every relationship he'd been having was based solely on sex when he wanted so much more, about how he thought it must be some fundemental aspect of who he was messing things up, even about how Professor Weathers' class was going to be intolerably awkward from then on. 

'I get how you feel,' Lupin said, sipping his water. 'I feel pretty repulsive myself. What with my condition and all.' He said that last part in a low voice. 'For a long time, I felt like I had ruined my dad's life.' 

Severus leaned forward, pushing his empty plate to the side. 'Does this have to do with him losing his job?' 

'Yeah, well... I guess it's more accurate to say that he quit. Because of me. See, he worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and when I had my uh... accident, he was in a position of hunting down people like me, more or less. At first he quit because he knew if his coworkers found out, he and I would both be in trouble. When I was older, though, he'd say that he thought what he'd been doing at that job was wrong. That he was ruining innocent peoples' lives in the name of law enforcement.' 

Severus nodded, listening raptly. He hadn't known anything about Lupin's family. 

'He sounds like a good man,' Severus remarked. 'Not many people were able to turn away from a corrupt but lucrative job and see it for what it is.' Lupin sniffed in sarcastic laughter. 

'I thought Slytherins were all about ambition, regardless of how corrupt,' he said. Severus scowled. 

'It's not like that. Not for me, anyway. Success is not satisfying if it's earned by hurting other people. I suppose that's why I just want to be an independent researcher and potions master. It's hard to find any kind of career success under capitalism _without_ hurting people.' 

'I never realised what a compassionate person you were,' Remus said, putting his face in his hands. 'See? You're smart, funny, interesting, _and_ compassionate. You're definitely a good catch.' Severus rolled his eyes. He couldn't imagine Lupin really believed that, and yet, he did seem to. 

After that night, he and Lupin spent meals together, talking about their lives and their feelings. He'd even come to Severus' work to hang out during breaks. It was strange how easily they became friends after years of animosity, but they were, and it made Severus feel much less lonely. He actually looked forward to talking to Remus. He was even calling him Remus. He started to feel guilty having his boyfriends over and started trying to keep his volume down when they were in bed. Eventually, he broke things off with Kyle, whose distance after sex made Severus feel terrible. Justus at least stayed the night sometimes and cuddled. Severus didn't have much hope for that relationship either, and he knew he was seeing other men, but the physical contact was something he wasn't ready to let go of. 

Once after Justus had been over, Remus would ask Severus about his sexuality and how he had first known. He asked him about how he had gone about attracting so many men, too. 

'Why are you so curious about it?' Severus asked. 'I'm not some kind of oddity just because I'm gay.' Remus looked sheepish, like a littly boy who had been caught doing something naughty. 

'I know... It's just different, I guess. From who I was friends with before.' Severus got annoyed and went back to his room. Things were tense between them for a few days after that, which was just as well as Justus was coming over to spend the weekend. Of course he'd rather spend time with his sort-of boyfriend than his reclusive straight friend. Only, he really did miss talking to Remus. Remus was far more interesting to talk to than Justus. 

Once in bed with his part-time lover, he rode him, slamming himself down onto him as though he was trying to stomp some thoughts out of his head.

'You're a little wild today,' Justus said with a smirk afterwards. 'Must have been really wanting it, huh.' Severus rolled his eyes with a sigh. 

'I'm going to take a shower. You can get something from the kitchen if you want... just please put your trousers on if you do.' He walked to the bathroom, feeling gloomy and not really knowing why. Remus looked up at him from where he sat on his own bed, but Severus avoided eye contact. He took his time in the shower, just trying to relax. He was tense and angry, and he couldn't put his finger on the cause. Eventually he got out, his skin red from the hot water. He got dressed in his pyjamas and walked out of the bathroom. He paused when he heard Remus and Justus talking. 

'Teasing you? I don't think so. I really think you're cute. You can ask Severus,' Justus said. Severus peered around the corner. Justus had his arm wrapped around Remus' middle, and Remus wasn't making any move to get away from him. They stood in front of the kitchenette. Remus' face was bright red, and he looked at the other man with what Severus could only guess was desire. His heart pounded as he watched, eyes fixated on Remus, waiting for his reaction. He didn't feel jealous--only excited.

'I don't think he'd uh... like what we're doing,' Remus protested, though his body leaned forward. Severus walked around the corner. 

'I don't mind,' he said in a wistful voice. He sat on Remus' bed, watching them intently. Remus looked bewildered. 'Really, it's all right. Please go ahead.' He wanted to see where this would go. Perhaps he was wrong in his assumption that Remus was straight. With that, Remus looked back to Justus who was smirking at him. He shrugged and cautiously put his hands on the other man's chest, feeling his muscles. Justus put his arms around Remus and kissed him. Remus was tense at first but relaxed into it, wrapping his arms around Justus' middle. Severus watched, enrapt, feeling himself growing aroused. As the two of them kissed, something seemed to snap in Remus and he became enthusiastic, groping at Justus and grinding his hips against him. The two of them made their way to the bed, and Severus shifted to let them lie down. 

'A-are you sure you don't mind this?' Remus asked as his neck was being kissed. He looked into Severus' eyes. 'Really sure?' 

'I'm really sure,' he said in a dazed voice, reaching down to touch himself through his thin pyjamas. Remus gulped when he saw that, but his attention quickly went back to Justus when the other man unzipped Remus' trousers and pulled his cock out, pumping it in his hand. Severus' eyes widened at it. It was thick and long--bigger than Justus'. He got proof of that when Justus took out his own and started rubbing it against Remus'. Remus squirmed and cried out, overwhelmed by the pleasure and by how quickly this was progressing. Severus took his hand in his own free hand and rubbed his thumb on his palm soothingly. Remus looked at him with gratitude. It wasn't long before Remus was sobbing a moan and cumming, squeezing Severus' hand. 

'You sure finished quick,' Justus said with a smirk, kneeling over the bed, cock sticking out proudly in front of him. 'Severus, come here. And take those off.' 

He was a little bit embarassed to take his pyjamas off in front of Remus, but he was a little too aroused to care. He awkwardly moved onto the bed, stepping over Remus, took off his pyjamas and lay on his back with his legs spread. He could feel Remus' eyes on him as Justus got on top of him and slid home. He let out a satisfied moan and glanced over at Remus. 

'You know what would be hot?' Justus asked as he thrust slowly in and out of Severus' body. 'You two should kiss.' Severus looked wide-eyed first at Justus, then at Remus, who looked equally shaken up. 

'Come on,' Justus insisted. 'You just watched him cum. You don't want to kiss him?' Severus felt uncomfortable, like what Justus was asking him to do might ruin his friendship with Remus, but Remus was already putting his hand on his shoulder and looking at him with a question in his eyes. Severus gasped. Remus _wanted_ to kiss him. Leaning forward, Severus captured his lips. He thought kissing his friend would feel strange, but it felt wonderful. Remus kissed sweetly, with feeling. Severus wrapped his arms around him, getting more caught up in the kiss than the sensation of being fucked. With his eyes closed, he started to fantasize that it was Remus fucking him. In that moment, he started to cum, crying out into Remus' mouth and squeezing him in his arms. Remus held him more tightly too. They were still kissing when Justus pulled out. 

'Should I uh... leave you two alone?' he asked. They pulled apart in shock, both with guilty looks on their faces. Justus laughed. 'It's fine. I like having two boys to play with.' He lay down beside Severus, who had Remus lying on his other side. Justus started to drift off to sleep. Severus gave Remus a wide eyed look and mouthed _sorry_ to him. He had no clue what else he could say. Remus shrugged and got up out of the bed. Severus assumed he was on his way to have an existential crisis, but he came back with a wet washcloth. They cleaned themselves off while Justus snored. 

'What the hell was that?' Severus whispered. 'I mean... how did that encounter start? With you and Justus?' Remus shrugged. Once again, he looked like a kid who was in trouble. 

'I don't know. He started calling me cute, I guess.' 

'But you're... you're _straight_ ,' Severus insisted. Remus looked offended. 

'I don't recall ever telling you that. You just assumed,' he said. His face softened. 'I just... I wasn't ready to tell people, okay? My friends before wouldn't have been accepting, and even though I knew you wouldn't have a problem with it, I was just... scared.' 

'And you choose to come out by fooling around with my boyfriend?' Severus asked. Remus looked betrayed, his mouth hanging open. 

'You said it was all right!' he protested. Severus shushed him. He didn't want Justus waking up. 

'I did. I meant it. We're not exclusive anyway,' he said. They sat in awkward silence for a while. They weren't talking about the obvious. Instead, they lay down on the tiny bed and fell asleep. As Severus was drifting off, he felt Remus put his arm around him. 

Severus woke up to Justus on top of Remus, kissing him. Remus was squirming under him again, moaning and bucking his hips. This time, Severus did feel jealous. He realised with horror, though, that he wasn't jealous of Remus. 

'You got started without me?' Severus asked, irritation clear in his voice. The two of them stopped and looked at him, Remus' expression guilty. 

'Why don't you get between us?' Justus suggested, making room for him, revealing Remus' thick, gorgeous cock. Severus' eyes quickly flicked up to Remus' face. Was he all right with this? He looked hopeful. Severus slipped between them and for the first time, felt full body skin-to-skin contact with Remus. They both gasped and reached for eachother, crushing their lips together and shifting until their cocks could grind together. Severus bucked his hips with more enthusiasm than he'd had with any lover. He felt right with Remus in a way he never had with anyone else, though terror tugged at the back of his mind. What if this ruined what they had? 

Justus preparing him and sliding his cock into him barely registered to him. His attention was on Remus, who gripped him hard and bit down on his neck as he thrust up against him. Severus could feel that Remus felt possessive. In that moment, he wished more than anything that it was Remus' cock inside of him. Still, just having their cocks pressed together felt incredible. Both Severus and Remus finished quickly, and Severus just lay in Remus' arms as Justus finished before collapsing to the bed beside them. Remus still held firmly to Severus who just laid his head on his chest and clung right back. 

'You two seem pretty into eachother,' Justus commented. They both looked at him. 'I can go, you know. I don't mind. I don't really know how much more I have in me anyway.' 

'Uh, yeah, I guess I'm pretty tired,' Severus said, not acknowledging the fact that he and Remus mad no move to stop holding eachother. Justus got off the bed and got dressed. 

'See you later,' he said before heading out the door. Somehow Severus knew he wouldn't be coming back. Remus looked at him with a guarded expression. 

'Do you want me to let you go?' he asked. He looked like he'd shatter if Severus said yes. Severus didn't, though. He shook his head and stayed put. Cautiously, Remus gave him a shy kiss. Severus returned it, and it deepened. Both of them were too spent for it to be any more than a kiss, but that fact warmed Severus' heart. Remus _just_ wanted to kiss him. As they lay there kissing, Remus stroked and held him like he was something precious that he couldn't get enough of. Eventually, though, they had to get up. 

Once they had both showered and eaten, that awkward tension fell over them again. 

'What does this mean for us?' Remus asked. He was sitting on his bed. Severus sat at the desk next to it. He shrugged. 

'What do you want it to mean?' 

'Well... it doesn't really matter what I want it to mean, right? You have a boyfriend,' he said with a sigh. 

'He's not, though. Not really. He sleeps around and he doesn't care if I do... You know I'm looking for something more serious.' He looked at Remus, hopeful he wasn't scaring him away. Remus did look pretty nervous. 

'I'd like that, too. I mean... something serious,' Remus said. Severus stared blankly. 'I mean, something serious with you.' 

'Are you sure? I mean... am I the sort of person you want to get involved with? I've been sleeping with all of these guys, and you want to get into a relationship with me?' 

'Yes... I do want that,' Remus said, wringing his hands and staring at them. 

'Why? Just because Justus wanted us to kiss? Is that what put the idea in your head?' Severus demanded. Remus furrowed his brow. 

'No! That's not it at all!' he said, looking up at Severus again before meekly looking down. 'I've... thought about you that way for a while.' 

'Since we started talking?' Severus asked. 

'Since Hogwarts,' Remus admitted. That stunned Severus into silence. 'I just didn't think I had a chance with you, even once I knew you were gay. Well, you were with some other guy just about every night, and they were much more handsome than me.' 

'I don't think they were,' Severus said reaching out to take Remus' hand. 'And anyway, that doesn't matter to me. I'd like to be with someone I can actually talk to. Who I actually like spending time with.' Remus smiled hopefully. Severus moved to sit beside him and wrapped his arms around him. 

'It was hard, listening to you with those guys every night,' Remus admitted. 'I was so jealous.' Severus squeezed him tighter. 

'You should have told me,' he said, burying his nose in the larger man's tatty jumper. 

'Yeah right, you hated me until not so long ago,' Remus said, stroking Severus' hair and back. 

'Clearly, I don't now.' 

They spent the rest of the day wrapped up in eachother's arms until hunger pulled them apart. They went to that same pizza place they had gone to the night Severus had been with his professor. That night, they both slept in Remus' bed. 

The next day was Sunday. Severus had work that morning, and the whole time, his mind was on Remus. How could he have missed it? When he had been so adamant that Severus would find someone who loved him, he realised he was talking about himself. Did Severus want to be in a relationship with him, though? His heart screamed that he did, that Remus was everything he wanted in a man. He worried about the other marauders, though. But then, Remus didn't seem to be in contact with them. Perhaps they weren't so close after all. It would be something they would have to talk about if they were actually going to try to be together. And there would be consequences if their relationship didn't work out. They shared a dorm, and they couldn't easily get reassigned to different rooms over a breakup. _I don't want to break up with him, though,_ Severus thought. 

Severus brought some sandwiches home from work to share with Remus, who greeted him with an enthusiastic hug and kiss as soon as he got home. As they ate, Severus thought about all the things they needed to talk seriously about. He wanted this bliss a little longer, but he couldn't relax with these things on his mind. 

'Do you still talk to your friends?' he asked. He was prepared to ask about the likelihood of them accepting their relationship, but Remus answered with a quick, 'No'. 

When Severus looked at him questioningly, Remus explained. 'I know they were a big part of my life, but now that I've been away from them for a while, I've realised I don't really have much in common with them. I don't just mean interests, I mean... being around them didn't allow me to be my own person. I think they saw me as inferior and needing their guidance. Maybe it was because of the werewolf thing or maybe it was because I was so different from them. In the end, I think I was still friends with them out of obligation. Getting closer to you helped me see that.' That was not what Severus expected to hear.

'Getting closer to me did?' he asked. 

'Well, yes. I mean because I could really talk to you, and you really listen. With you, I feel like I can be myself and you don't look down on me. Not to mention our values being more similar,' Remus said. 'They would have never understood the choice my dad made or why he ended up feeling good about it. They don't see the harm of criminalising people for who they are. They only see the fun and excitement of that world. And as for what you said about ambition? I saw the three of them hurt people for their own gain all the time, and they treated me like some kind of joyless scold for having a problem with it. Having a friend like you put my friendship with them in perspective.' Severus nodded. At times, during Hogwarts, he had thought Remus was spineless for staying with the other marauders, that he could see what they were doing was wrong and went along with it anyway. Now, though, that he was free of them, he felt no pull to go back to them. He was his own man. 

Severus thought about their conversation while he cleaned up the mess from lunch. He truly wanted to be in a relationship with Remus, and it scared him how strongly he already felt for him. With the other men he'd been with in the past few months, he knew on some level, he'd just wanted to be liked and desired. Now he only wanted Remus. The tall, gangly man came up behind him and wrapped his arms around him, kissing the top of his head. Feeling his body pressed up against him stirred memories of the previous day, when they had been pressed together, eagerly kissing and grinding against eachother. Blood rushed into Severus' cock so fast, it made him dizzy. All of his fears and apprehension couldn't override the pull he felt to Remus. He turned around in his arms and felt that he was aroused, too. 

'You really want _me_?' he asked, burying his face in Remus' chest. 'After you've seen me with other men?' Remus pulled him closer. He leaned down to kiss him. 

'So you had other boyfriends. You've seen me transform into a wolf, Severus. I can't believe _you_ want _me_. I'm a monster,' he said. His voice broke when he said that. He hid his face by leaning down to press it against Severus' shoulder. Something fierce and protective blossomed in Severus' chest. He gripped Remus tightly and felt himself choking up. How many times had he felt like a monster himself? Unloveable, undesirable, unwanted. His father had called a dirty little pervert for being gay and an aberration for being a wizard. 

'You are not a monster,' he whispered, stroking Remus' back. 'You're a good man.' He thought he felt Remus crying against his shoulder. 

'It's all right. You know the wolfsbane potion that was developed last year? I'm going to learn to make it. Not just that--I'll improve upon it,' Severus vowed. That's when Remus really broke down. 

'You can't know what that means to me,' he sobbed. Severus carefully walked them both to Remus' bed and sat them down. Remus pulled him down onto the bed with him so that they were lying down, and for a long time, they just held eachother while Remus cried. At some point, they drifted off, and when Severus awoke again, the clock on Remus' desk said it was past midnight. Remus was no longer with him. Sitting up in bed, Severus saw him at the kitchenette, cooking something. The smell made his stomach growl. 

'Oh, you're up. I was going to surprise you,' Remus said with a laugh. 'Nearly done, though.' Severus got up and moved to the small dining table. Moments later, Remus brought over two plates of pasta. They ate in silence, but their feet found eachother under the table. Severus caught Remus' eyes when they were done eating. 

'I can do the dishes in the morning. Let's go to bed,' he said. 

'Bed? We slept all day, Severus. I'm not really... _oh_.' In an instant, they were on the bed, wrapped up in eachother, kissing and running their hands over eachother's bodies. Severus pulled Remus onto him and cried out in pleasure the moment he felt their clothed erections press together. 

'I've wanted this for so long,' Remus said as he pulled off Severus' shirt and moved to unbutton his jeans. He stopped, suddenly looking self conscious. 'I'm just kind of worried I won't measure up. I don't know if you could tell, but I'm kind of a virgin. What happened yesterday was the most I've ever done.' Severus pulled Remus' shirt off. He felt a little thrill knowing he'd be Remus' first. 

'I don't care about that,' Severus said, taking off his own trousers. 'I just want to be with you. We'll figure it out together. Besides, in terms of measurements, I think you have all of them beat.' He smirked and groped Remus through his trousers. Remus moaned and pushed against his hand. 

'I won't last long,' he warned. 'Maybe not long enough for you to get off.' Severus unbuttoned Remus' trousers and pulled them down with his underwear. They were finally both naked. He pulled the larger man on top of him again. 

'Then you can blow me afterwards,' Severus said, grasping at his arse. With his free hand he accio'd the lube from his room. When he handed it to Remus, though, he looked a bit clueless. 

'I'll show you this time,' he said with a forbearing smile. Remus got off of him to sit and watch as he put lube onto his fingers and plunged them into himself, spreading and coating himself inside. His cock twitched. Displaying himself this way for Remus turned him on, it seemed. Remus seemed to like it as well; his mouth was hanging open. Once done, Severus poured more lube into his palm and slathered it onto Remus' cock before pulling the other man to him. Remus' hands were shaking as he guided his cock to Severus' entrance. Severus grabbed him by the hips and pulled him forward so that the thick head of his cock pushed into him. Severus gasped and Remus let out a shuddering moan. Severus kept grabbing at his hips, pulling him closer, and the shaft went into him as well. Remus was gasping and looking overwhelmed, but Severus wrapped his arms around his chest and pulled him down for an encouraging kiss. Remus stayed unmoving as they kissed, but the moment Severus slid his tongue into his mouth, he started bucking forward and moaning into his mouth. Severus wrapped his legs around his waist, which just encouraged him more. He gripped Severus' hips and picked up his pace, whimpering into his mouth. Severus found himself getting close surprisingly fast. Being with Remus felt good not just physically but filled him with a warm feeling he had been chasing this whole time. Even before Remus started to lose it, Severus' body tensed up, and he whimpered and gripped at his lover's back as he shot his seed between their bodies. Remus followed shortly, pushed over the edge by the way Severus' body tightened around him. 

Remus fell forward, gasping and unable to stop himself from smiling. He hugged and kissed Severus, laughing with joy as he did. 

'We did it,' Severus said smiling shyly. Remus nodded and cuddled up to him, lying his head on his thin shoulder. Severus ran his hand over Remus' torso, fingers tracing the long scars he found.

From then on, they slept together in Remus' bed every night. Severus did go on to research the wolfsbane potion and improve its efficacy as well as adding pain killers and muscle relaxers that would make transformation less painful for werewolves. Remus was crucial in his research, using his skill in herbology to provide insight on ingredients that a brewer alone might not know, not to mention providing the highest quality ingredients Severus could have hoped for. After they got married, they ended up starting a lab--100% worker-owned--that specialised in the production of wolfsbane. Remus' mum even ended up working there, muggle though she was, as a cleaner. Severus took an active role in brewing until he and Remus started having children, and then he focused more on research so he could spend more time with his family. Remus and James reconciled, but they were never as close as they had been. The same could be said for Severus and Lily. A few of Severus and Remus' children would go on to become friends with Harry Potter, though, despite being sorted into different houses. 

Years later, lying in bed with Remus' arms around him and their youngest child in his own arms, Severus found himself happier than he ever would have imagined he'd be.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> pre Snarry. I'm considering making it into a longer fic at some point.

Day 26: Time travel AU

Harry Time travel fic 

It only took seven years after Voldemort’s defeat for everything to go completely to shit. At 25 years old, Harry Potter had lost everything. His life was ruined. Worse, so were everyone else’s.

The feeling of relief and hope he felt at Voldemort’s defeat felt like a lifetime ago. He looked back on the naive kid he’d been, as he sat at his desk in the run down shack he lived in now. The wallpaper was peeling. There was no electricity or running water. He remembered when he was young and thought everything could just be okay, with bitter regret. How could he not have understood the inevitability of what followed? But of course he couldn’t have. He’d been completely indoctrinated by wizareding society to believe that history had ended when Voldemort died. 

It hadn’t. Harry traced the larger of the two scars on his face with his finger. He looked at himself in a dusty, cracked mirror. He looked worn. His once rounded cheeks looked hollow, and it didn’t suit his large frame. His skin which used to be rich and warm brown now looked sickly and almost grey. He didn’t eat well anymore. 

The problem with thinking that everything would be better after the end of the second wizarding war was that Voldemort was not a uniquely bad individual, solely responsible for the sentiments of blood and magical supremacy. Really, there was nothing unique about Voldemort at all. If anything, his flashy way of doing things distracted the well-meaning magical folks who stood against him from seeing the more subtle, insidious movement growing in his shadow. 

No one noticed because the people who made up this movement were quiet, polite, and worked within the system. They were respectable people, and many of them got jobs in the ministry. Many of them even fought for the light. They didn’t have to worry too much about their sentiments being discovered by their employers or coworkers, of course. The ministry had, after all, always employed people who openly believed what they did. The ministry probably would have employed Tom Riddle had he applied. He probably could have run for office and won in his time, had he chosen that route. Of course, he hadn’t. But others did. 

No one saw it coming, everyone would say. Except there were people who very much did see it coming. Only no one listened to them because they were the type that most people considered extremists, utopian, radicals. 

Harry had not been one of those types, back then. He couldn’t have been, with everyone watching his every move, listening to his every word. He’d felt so much pressure to be reasonable, but all that time, something had nagged at the back of his mind. Something that had happened when he was just sixteen. 

It had been during one of his occlumency lessons with Snape. Harry would have smiled to remember those days if he could force his face into such an expression. Despite all of the animosity between them at the time, they did talk. It started with Snape trying to get Harry to actually understand that ‘life or death’ meant he could actually die. Harry had been complaining that Snape was going too hard on him and being unfair. Of course, Voldemort wouldn’t be fair. 

It was during those few conversations that Harry got to see a little bit of how Snape really felt about things and how he saw the world. He’d once made a comment about defeating Voldemort being pointless if the conditions that allowed for someone like that to rise to power were still in place. Harry had thought he was just especially frustrated with the lessons, but years after Snape’s death, those words came back to haunt him. 

Jeanine Travers was her name. She was an unassuming witch from one of the sacred 28. A Ravenclaw in school, she was about ten years older than Harry. She had come to power in a coup with the aid of her paramilitary led by Gawain Robards, but the fact that so many who worked in the ministry and so many elected to office were her followers made it an easy enough task. She even had quite a bit of public support in magical Britain, even from those who considered blood supremacy distasteful. Harry was surprised by which of his friends supported her. Of course, they weren’t his friends anymore. Now if, say, Neville showed up where he lived, he’d have little choice but to kill him or risk being killed himself. 

Many of his friends who had been on his side, who didn’t think he was crazy for how early on in the coup he started to become fearful, had died or were in Azkaban. Azkaban was full of political dissonants. Truthfully, it always had been, but people didn’t see them as anything but criminals before the coup. It’s easy to imagine that the people locked up in prison deserve to be there when you’re comfortable and the state doesn’t target you or your way of thinking. 

Harry’s status as Hero of the Wizarding World had faded away and been replaced with another label. Terrorist. Because he opposed the fascist regime that quite a few magical people were just fine with. Many wizards benefited greatly ever since the magical British government had dispensed with the statute of secrecy in order to absorb the muggle state and announced itself sovereign over both magical and muggle Britain. 

Of course, 21st century fascism, much as it pretended to be nationalist in whatever country where it grew, was a global problem. Britain may have been the first place, but it was quickly followed by the US, Italy, Poland, and so on. The whole world seemed to be falling in a horrible chain reaction, and the resistance was inadequate. Because neoliberalism had become the dominant political ideology throughout nearly all world governments, there was no force, no world power that could or even wanted to lift a finger against the fascist spread. Even if Harry wanted to leave Britain, he’d have nowhere to go. There was nowhere in the world he wasn’t an enemy. There was no state he could go to and fight back from. 

Harry had lived alone for a long time, in that old house near the coast. He had been trying to hide, but that evening, as he sat at his shabby desk, looking at old photos and reminiscing about dead and imprisoned friends, Harry’s last hope for refuge came crashing down. The sound of the floo being used and heavy footsteps was all the warning he had that the aurors had arrived. Unwilling to become a prisoner and not wanting to risk another fight, he grabbed the emergency bag he’d prepared for just such an occasion and apparated away to a cave in northern Wales. At just over three hundred miles, it was an exhausting feat, but it was the only one of his hideouts he could think of they wouldn’t be able to find out about. 

He fell to his knees in the damp, cold cave, trying to stop himself from being sick. His dry heaves turned into sobs and then cursing as he punched the rock wall. He screamed and punched it again and again until his knuckles bled. Hopeless. It was hopeless. There was nothing he could do by himself. He’d die alone in this cave. What was the alternative? Dying alone, fighting? He supposed he should have preferred that, but he was tired. The weight of the world bore down on him. 

He sat down on the floor and took a look at his hands. He didn’t want to use any magic and risk being harassed by aurors again. He grabbed his bag and started rummaging through it, remembering he had packed some basic first aid. The rations in his bag caught his eyes. Not much. Enough for a week at most. Should he even bother? 

\-----

He went a few days without eating, figuring there was no point, but in the end, he couldn’t take it. He broke into one of his rations and ate, cursing himself as he did. He went outside into the rain and drank from cupped hands. He was filthy. He stank. His greasy hair was probably sticking up everywhere. He went back into the cave. 

He had been passing the time by reading over a journal Dumbledore had left him. It was full of fascinating magical research--all useless to him now. It was something to do, though. Sometimes when he thought of Dumbledore, he missed him. Sometimes, he resented him. In all his wisdom, did the old wizard ever anticipate this? Months ago, Harry carefully read over this very journal, trying to find any hint. It was an older journal, though--not from Dumbledore’s last years. 

Actually, it was from the 80s, and there were a few entries about Hogwarts’ new, very young potions professor. When Harry first read it, he found it interesting how Dumbledore’s feelings for Snape progressed from contempt to a kind of condescending affection. The more Harry learned about Dumbledore, the more his happy memory of the man was strained. Now Albus Dumbledore was his only company as he waited to die. 

Perhaps it was because he had abandoned all hope that Harry came up with an impossible idea while reading that journal. Dumbledore had written about a theory he had concerning time turners, that with enough magic, they could be used to travel up to 50 years into the past, if someone was willing to make it a one-way journey. 

It probably wouldn’t work, but then, what was the point of not trying? Even if he felt ridiculous trying it, it was better than sitting in a frigid cave, waiting to die. He finished the last of his rations and stood up. He was going to find a time turner. 

\-----

Harry knew the locations of two time turners. One was at Hogwarts, but Hogwarts was likely warded against him. Surely, the current headmaster, a wizard who reminded Harry quite a bit of Umbridge, would love the opportunity to face Harry in combat. Even if he walked away unharmed and with the time turner, he would surely have aurors on his tail.   
The other was buried in Minerva McGonagall’s grave. 

Even with Harry’s strength, digging without magic all night left his arms burning with pain. Finally he hit the wood of a coffin. 

It was an ugly business, digging up a friend’s grave and pilfering from it. Harry felt sick as he searched the inside of the coffin for the small piece of metal. He tried not to look at what he was doing. Once he had the thing in his hand, he immediately apparated back to the cave. If his plan worked, there was no point in reburying the body. 

Harry had very little hope of the spell working. He hadn’t had hope for anything in years now, but he set it up regardless, setting the time turner on the sand floor of the cave and drawing rune circles around it with his finger, his invisibility cloak tied around his waist. As he said the incantations, his voice was flat. He knew it wouldn’t work. Knew it through and through. He went on knowing it even as he felt a pull like apparition but a thousand times stronger and more nauseating. He fell to his hands and knees and got sick on the cave floor. He was still on the cave floor. He fell over onto his side and started crying. Part of him had believed it would work. 

\-----

At some point, he’d fallen asleep. He woke up to the putrid smell of his own sick beside him. His sick, which consisted of his last bit of rations. Despite the smell, his stomach growled in hunger and he reached for his bag in desperation, thinking perhaps he missed some small bit of food. Only he couldn’t find his bag anyway on the sand floor. Had someone taken it? Had someone been in that cave? If they had, why wasn’t he dead? His heart pounded as he looked around. The time turner and the runes were gone too. The sand was blackened where he had attempted his ritual. There was no way he could try the spell again, even if he could somehow remember the incantation without Dumbledore’s journal. He felt so defeated. He didn’t want to die in this cave, next to his own sick. 

As weak as he felt, he walked out of the cave, half expecting to be ambushed by aurors. When he saw a person on the beach, he nearly fainted. His vision when blurry and he doubled over again. 

‘Oh, Mister! All right?’ he heard a voice call. It sounded like a child, but he had tunnel vision. His eyes wouldn’t focus. He the sand shifting under moving feet as the figure approached him. ‘All right, Mister? You look sick.’ This kid had a Welsh accent. Must be a local. He hoped a muggle. 

‘Y-yeah,’ Harry said, though it came out as barely a whisper. His throat felt raw. 

‘Mam!’ the child shouted. Harry’s vision was starting to clear up. The kid might have been ten. He was joined by a woman who wasn’t much taller than him. Harry passed out. 

\----- 

‘-a coma after being shot in London earlier this month. As a result, war has broken out in Lebanon.’ Harry groaned. A voice that sounded rather tinny brought him to consciousness. He opened his eyes and saw an old telly on in front of him. The news progamme that was playing looked old, too. It must have been a recording. That was the only explanation, because he couldn’t afford to hope against the odds again. He pushed himself up to sit upright on what turned out to be a sofa. The boy and woman from the beach were staring at him. 

‘What happened to you?’ the woman asked. There was a telly in the house, so Harry was fairly comfortable in assuming they were muggles. 

‘I was hiding from the aurors in that cave,’ he explained. 

‘Hiding from what?’ she asked. 

‘I think he said “the horrors”, Mam,’ the boy said. Then, in a lower voice, he added, ‘must be a nutter.’ Harry stopped breathing. Was it possible? 

‘Uh, well, there were some stray dogs. Horrors. They were coming after me, biting at me, and I ran in the cave to get away from them. I was in there for a while, and I hadn’t eaten. That’s why I fainted,’ he said, hoping the hasty explanation was adequate to make his hosts believe he wasn’t suffering from delusions. Whether he’d travelled back in time or not, he needed their help. At least until he regained some strength. 

‘Oh, those will be Old Man Jenkins’ dogs. Mean little bastards. Rhys, go get the man some of the stew from lunch,’ the woman said to her son. Harry could have cried when the boy came back with a bowl of soup and some bread. He forced himself to eat slowly. He didn’t want to be sick again. 

As he ate, the woman questioned him. What was his name, where was he from, what was he doing in Wales. He risked using his real name, expecting her to recognise it. She didn’t. He told her he lived in Scotland, and he was a geologist studying the local caves. Luckily, she was satisfied with that answer. Mrs Davies was her name, and her husband was a fisherman. That must be why the stew was full of fish. 

He couldn’t ask what year it was without sounding odd, but the Davies’ didn’t seem to live in fear or even know anything was amiss, and there was an old telly playing old broadcasts with no VCR in sight. If it was actually 1982, he needed to find Snape. That was his plan. Go back to Snape’s first year of teaching at Hogwarts and hope against hope he would understand what was to be done. 

For the spell, he couldn’t be so exact about the date. He could only pick a year, so he was unsure of what time of year it was. It was a cool, rainy day, but Wales could be like that much of the year. When he left--supposing he had actually left--it had been August. That didn’t determine anything about what time of year he’d ended up, of course. When he asked Mrs Williams what the date was, she simply said it was the 19th. Of what month, Harry couldn’t know. 

\----- 

After he ate, he fell asleep on the sofa. He was exhausted. Since he hadn’t eaten much for the past week, the satisfaction of a meal with fish and vegetables made sleep irresistible. He didn’t wake up again until he heard the door close and a man’s voice. He sat up, suddenly self conscious of his situation. He sat up and straightened his clothes before standing up to leave. He intercepted Mr and Mrs Davies in the front room. 

‘Thank you for all your help. I’m so sorry to have troubled you. I should be going now,’ he said, walking out the door before either of them could say anything more to them. There was a car out front, which was how the woman and her son must have gotten him to the house. A light blue car that looked like it was made in the 70s. The house was remote, on a hill near the coast, and the only other houses he could see were in the distance. He walked down to the road and started walking, hoping to find a place he could apparate. As he walked, he checked his waist for the invisibility cloak and was relieved to find it still tied there. 

Once he found a grove, he sneaked between some big trees and apparated to a point he knew to be behind a Tesco in Cokeworth. Only when he got there, he found himself in a park, in front of a couple of screaming teenagers. Looking around and not seeing anyone else, he obliviated them and walked off as they began to recover from their confusion. Had he apparated to the wrong location, or was he in a time before that particular Tesco had been built? 

The lack of Tesco disorientated Harry, and it took him some time to find the street that he took to make his way to Spinner’s End. Immediately when he got to the street, it started to sink in for him that he really had time travelled. The cars, peoples’ clothes, the shops all told him it was indeed 1982. Not to mention the fact that there were no aurors openly walking around, and no one seemed particularly worried about going about their business. 

Harry figured that if it were summer, Snape would be at his family’s old home. If it weren’t, Harry knew how to get in, and he could use it as a sort of base long enough to regroup and figure out how to get into Hogwarts. He knew it would likely piss off 22 year old Snape, but he was too tired to apparate another long distance again, and he had no money--wizard or muggle. 

Finding the house was no problem. On his way, he thought of what he could say to the undoubtedly suspicious young man to get him to team up with him. Leading with ‘I’m Harry Potter from the year 2005’ would likely get the door slammed in his face. Perhaps he’d start out by telling him he worked for Dumbledore. That’s what he thought as he knocked on the front door. He breathed in relief as it opened and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when a short, bearded man with greying brown hair wearing a flat cap and a greying white vest answered the door. 

‘Who are you? What do you want?’ the man asked. He had some kind of European accent. It occurred to Harry that this was Tobias Snape. He could have kicked himself. Snape’s parents still lived here, were still alive. 

‘I uh… I’m looking for your son,’ he said, awkwardly. The little man sneered. His crossed his bare arms over his chest. 

‘What are you. Boyfriend? He does not live here anymore,’ Tobias said, moving to close the door in Harry’s face. Harry stopped him by grabbing the top of the door with his hand, holding it open in desperation. It was getting dark. 

‘Please, Mr Snape. I don’t know where to look for him,’ he said, unsure of what the man had meant by boyfriend. Mr Snape didn’t seem intimidated by Harry, despite being about a foot shorter than him. 

‘You get out!’ he shouted. ‘I don’t want any queer person around here!’ A black-haired woman, about the same height as Tobias, appeared behind him. Her eyes looked hopeful as she ran to the door, but the happiness fell from her face when she saw Harry. Had she been expecting Severus? Based on what? 

‘You know my son?’ she asked. Her voice sounded very much like Severus’. Quiet, deliberate, with a Welsh accent.

‘He is boyfriend,’ Tobias said, shaking his head, annoyed. 

‘Is that true?’ Eileen asked, a strange look in her eye. Harry couldn’t understand why Tobias thought he was Severus’ boyfriend, but it was clear he didn’t approve of that possibility. 

‘I’m his coworker. I need to speak with him. It’s related to work,’ he said. Eileen looked puzzled. 

‘You work at Hogwarts?’ she asked. 

‘I don’t want any wizard around here!’ Tobias shouted, seeming even angrier about wizards than homosexuals. 

‘I uh, work for Dumbledore,’ Harry said, holding the door firmly in his hand, high enough that Tobias could not easily reach it. Eileen sneered, looking nearly identical to her son. Apparently he’d said the wrong thing. 

‘I don’t know where he goes during the summer,’ she said harshly. ‘He’s probably in London. Goodbye.’ She turned and walked back into some part of the house where Harry couldn’t see her. Evidently he’d chosen the wrong lie. Now he was alone with Tobias, who was shouting at him in a language he didn’t understand. With a defeated sigh, he walked away from the house. Grateful he had eaten at all that day, he walked back to the park and tried to find a well-sheltered bench to sit and rest on while he thought. Why had Tobias Snape been so convinced that he was Snape’s boyfriend, of all things? 

\-----

After napping some more on the bench and discreetly pulling a half eaten carton of chips out of the trash beside a chip shop to eat, Harry apparated to London, close to Diagon Alley. Before anyone saw him, he charmed his eyes brown and hid the two scars on his face--both the lightening bolt shaped scar and the much larger one that stretched across most of his face. He changed some of his features so no one thought he looked much like the late James Potter. Then he walked in, not too worried about his dirty clothes or the fact that he smelled horrible. He headed for the Leaky Cauldron. 

It was later in the evening, and the dining hall was crowded. He looked around to see if he recognised anyone--not that it would be much help if he did. He sat at the bar, and the bartender, whom he didn’t know, approached him. 

‘What’ll you have?’ the wizard asked dubiously. Harry shifted uncomfortably. 

‘I’m looking for Severus Snape,’ he said. 

‘I assume that’s not a drink?’ the bartender asked, and Harry shook his head. ‘Well, I don’t know him.’ 

‘He’s uh… a young man, black hair, about a foot shorter than me, and slim,’ Harry explained, hoping desperately that Snape was staying at the inn. 

‘He’s not staying here, far as I know. Are you going to order something?’ Harry shook his head with a sigh and walked out the door. He hadn’t planned this very well, he thought to himself. It had been a last desperate attempt, and he hadn’t really believed it would work. Besides, in his time, they didn’t use the same currency anymore. Now he was essentially homeless, and all he could do was apparate around looking for Snape. His stomach rumbled loudly. He needed to do something about that. 

Donning his invisibility cloak, he carefully sneaked through muggle London, staying close to the entrance to Diagon Alley. He soon found a corner store and, in it, food. He grabbed a few things and quietly left, finding an alley to sit in and eat while still under his invisibility cloak. At least it was summer, and it wasn’t cold. 

The alley could easily be seen by passersby, so Harry didn’t much care for the idea of staying there overnight. He couldn’t count on his invisibility cloak staying on him if he fell asleep, so he got up, pocketed it, and started circling the area around Diagon Alley. He’d need to find a decent place to stay the night so that he could spend the next day searching for Snape. Most of the alleys in that area were not well hidden. He hoped he could come across a dumpster, but indeed, he ended up with much better luck than that. Down one alleyway, he saw the last thing he’d expected to find. A circle with a line through it that looked much like his scar was spray-painted on the wall of a building that appeared to be abandoned. He’d found a squat. 

Cautiously, he opened the creaky unlocked door. He didn’t like the idea he might be disturbing someone who stayed here. The building was dark and seemed to be uninhabited, at least on the first floor. There was no furniture or anything, but Harry counted himself lucky that he had shelter. He sat in a corner he could see the door from, just in case. 

\-----

The floor was wood, and there were a lot of loose, creaky boards, so when someone came in after Harry had fallen asleep, he arose in a panic with his wand out. The room was dark enough that all he saw was a small figure go stiff in surprise. 

After a moment, he heard a familiar voice ask, ‘Is that a wand?’ 

Harry gasped and lowered his wand. It couldn’t be. 

‘Snape?’ he asked, trying not to laugh in relief. Was he dreaming. 

‘Who are you?’ he asked, moving to point his own wand. 

‘I’ve been looking for you, but I had no idea you’d be here,’ Harry said. ‘You don’t know me. And you’re not going to believe who I am, but the fate of the entire world sort of rests on you hearing me out.’ 

‘What the fuck are you talking about?’ Snape asked, approaching him. It was strange to hear him curse when he’d been his professor for seven years. Then again, it was strange to hear his voice at all, when he’d been dead for just as many years. 

‘Look, I know this is going to sound crazy,’ Harry started. He remembered Eileen’s reaction to the ‘I’m working with Dumbledore’ line and decided against giving it a go on her son. Besides, Snape had a knack for sussing out the truth. ‘But I’m Harry Potter, and I’ve come from the future to find you.’ 

Immediately, Harry felt the invasion of his mind. On many years’ instinct, he blocked Snape’s legilimency. Snape’s posture told him the smaller man was genuinely surprised by this. 

‘If you’re telling the truth, let me see,’ he demanded. Despite the confidence he projected, Harry could hear the trembling in Snape’s voice. 

‘Sorry, that was out of habit. Please go ahead,’ he said, trying to relax and allow Snape to penetrate his mind. In an instant, he felt Snape looking through his memories, verifying that he was who he said he was, but also seeing the world he had just come from and finding that, after being Harry’s professor throughout Hogwarts, he had died at the hand of Voldemort. Snape was beginning to linger on that memory. Harry was sure Snape knew who he was, so he threw him out again. He hated the sensation of someone else being in his mind. 

Snape staggered back, seemingly in shock. Harry’s eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and he could now get a better look at him. He wore a dark tunic and tights with boots and seemed to have makeup on. His hair was tied back to reveal earrings dangling from his ears. 

‘Oh fuck, oh God,’ he said, panicked. ‘I’m going to die… Voldemort’s going to come back, and he’s going to kill me. I knew it… I knew it...’ He backed up into the wall and slid down. 

‘Snape, please calm down,’ Harry said, shocked to see his once stoic professor breaking down so easily. He reminded himself that Snape was just 22 and basically a kid, and he knelt beside him. ‘That happened in my time. I know how to prevent it, all right? We have much bigger problems to deal with.’ He wondered if Snape even heard him. The younger man was hyperventilating. For a while, Harry just sat next to him. Eventually, he started to fall asleep again. As relieved as he was to find Snape, he hadn’t had a good nights’ sleep in a while. 

‘Uh, Potter?’ Snape asked, and Harry snapped awake. ‘What did you mean we have bigger problems?’ 

‘There’s a lot to talk about. Look, not to impose on you, Snape, but I don’t actually have any clothes or money. I’ve only been here about a day, but I spent the past week in a cave, living off of rations and sleeping on the ground. I haven’t had a shower in all that time,’ Harry said. He needed real rest. 

‘I’ve just been staying here and sneaking into a gym to shower. There’s some bedding upstairs to sleep in, but it’s just on the floor. I guess… I guess I could get you a room at the Leaky Cauldron for the night, but I can’t afford to do much more than that,’ Snape said. Harry felt a pang of guilt. There was no way he could pay him back. There was money in his family vault, but he couldn’t very well walk in as a 25 year old saying he was Harry Potter. 

‘Sorry. After I get some rest, I can figure out how to do what you’ve been doing. Then I’ll start looking for a job and I can pay you back. Maybe start contributing, get a flat you can stay at during summers.’

‘Summers? You plan on staying here for multiple years?’ Snape asked. He hadn’t had long to search around in Harry’s mind. 

‘It was a one-way trip, Snape. I’m here forever. Anyway, the work we have to do will take years. Decades, even,’ he said. Snape grimaced. 

\----- 

Harry let out an obscene groan as he got under the hot spray of the shower. It had so long since he’d had a properly hot shower with decent water pressure. And the soap. Nice, lathery soap that didn’t leave his skin dry and itchy. It hit him while he was in the shower just how much he missed little things like this. Showers, seeing people just walking around and carrying on with their lives, talking to strangers without fear. As good as a return to normalcy felt in the moment, though, it was this normal that would lead to the destruction he knew in his own time. 

When he stepped out of the shower, he saw his dingy, worn old clothes and frowned. At least he didn’t have to be so careful about using magic anymore. He spelled them clean and put them back on. Walking out into the room, he saw Snape stretched on on the bed, also revelling in comforts he had missed, arms stretched behind his head, eyes closed in bliss like a warm kitten. Of course, he’d been sleeping on the floor since the start of summer. 

‘What month is it?’ Harry asked, sitting on the other side of the bed. 

‘June,’ Snape said, looking over at Harry with the sudden realisation that they’d be sharing a bed. His face reddened. 

‘Great. So we have a few months before you have to go back to Hogwarts. Maybe I can find a decent job before then,’ he said, rolling onto the bed and stretching out. 

‘You’ll need new clothes if you want a chance at that,’ Snape commented. ‘What have you been doing in those? Duelling?’ He must have been talking about the burn marks on his denim jacket and trousers. 

‘I wouldn’t call it duelling. Duelling has rules. More like fighting for my life,’ he said with a heavy sigh. For now, at least, he had a break from that. 

‘Is that how you got that scar?’ Snape asked, his voice even softer than usual. Harry opened his eyes and looked at him. 

‘This? Well, you could say that. Someone I thought was a comra… er, a friend, betrayed me,’ he explained. 

‘And this wasn’t all because of Voldemort?’ 

‘We killed Voldemort in 98. We thought everything was going to be okay after that, but… well, just because he was gone didn’t mean the world had changed. The same world that allowed someone like Voldemort to happen still existed, so, of course, someone worse came along after him.’ Snape breathed in sharply. 

‘So… it’s hopeless then? I mean, if this world is just so flawed that it just keeps leading to tyrant after tyrant, then what’s the point?’ Something about the way Snape had asked the question seemed like a test. Like there was an answer he hoped to hear from Harry which would help him decide whether or not he trusted him. 

‘Another world is possible, Snape,’ Harry said, and he saw Snape’s dark eyes light up before he rolled over and fell asleep. 

\----- 

Harry awoke to the smell of food. Real, proper food. He sat up in bed, stretching his sore muscles as Snape, who now wore jeans and a tatty black t-shirt, set down a bag from McDonald’s next to him. 

‘It’s cheaper than the stuff here at the Cauldron. Tastes better, too,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t sure what you got, so I got a plain burger and chips.’ 

‘Right now, that sounds brilliant,’ Harry said, tearing into the bag and stuffing his face. He sucked down whatever drink was in the paper cup. Coke. ‘I never thought I’d have McDonald’s again, you know? It’s been over a year.’ 

Snape sat at the little table in their room and ate his own food. His thin black eyebrows raised in surprise. ‘It’s that bad? There’s no more McDonald’s?’ 

‘Mm, there is. But it’s owned by wizards now. And I’m on some kind of terrorist watchlist, so I can’t go out, anyway. Er, couldn’t.’ He wasn’t going back to that reality. His heart sang. He had another chance. Even if everything still went to shit, he had another chance. 

Snape nearly choked on his drink. 

‘McDonald’s? Owned by wizards? You’re kidding.’ 

‘I’m not. This new person who’s taken over has taken over the muggle world, too. Well, it’s actually not that simple. Wizards around the world have done and are doing what Travers did. So now there’s a small network of wealthy wizards running the world. They’ve taken some ownership of major businesses. It’s like some horrible worldwide state capitalism, but magical,’ Harry explained. Snape stared at him, clearly trying to process what he’d said. 

‘That’s basically what Grindelwald wanted,’ Snape said with a bemused sniff. 

‘So long as there is hierarchy, there will be people that take advantage of it,’ Harry said. He put his trash back in his bag. 

‘So what are you trying to do here, Potter? Eliminate hierarchy?’ Snape asked, taking a long sip of his drink. His eyes lingered on Harry. Another test, he could tell. 

‘As much as I can. I had sort of hoped you were of a mind to help me,’ he said. He hoped he was right about Snape, based on what he’d said in the 90s. This Snape might not have any real ideology, yet. After all, he’d joined the Death Eaters not too long before, and yet, he seemed to be vetting Harry to make sure he was on board with his way of thinking. 

‘Why, though? I mean… why come find me? Why not Dumbledore?’ Snape asked. He glared at Harry in a way that demanded a thorough answer. It reminded him of being his student, although now he was older than Snape. From his vantage, Snape looked more like a suspicious child than a commanding professor. 

‘Dumbledore wouldn’t understand. He’d find out I know how to get rid of Voldemort and focus completely on that, not realising how paramount total systematic change is. I know he’d say, “We can get to that, but we have to focus on the immediate threat, first”... And then we’d end up right back where I was when I left.’ Snape raised his eyebrow thoughtfully, keeping his reaction cryptic. Harry sighed. 

‘He doesn’t understand dealing with the root of the problem. He doesn’t even see it. He sees the obvious symptoms of the problem, but not the underlying structural cause,’ Harry explained. Snape smirked. 

‘And you think I do?’ he asked, crossing his arms over his thin chest. 

‘Yeah. You’re the one who got me thinking that way in the first place. When I was 16, you told me you thought defeating Voldemort was pointless if we didn’t change the conditions that led to him. I got the impression that you’d tried to talk about that with Dumbledore and he dismissed it. But that’s the thing, you were right.’ 

Snape’s smirk widened. ‘Sounds like me. Getting in trouble with my opinions. Being too... radical.’ 

‘Yeah, well, how does it feel to be proved right?’ Harry said, relieved that they seemed to be of the same mind on this. 

\----- 

After they ate, Snape took Harry shopping. Harry once again put on the glamour, though Snape didn’t really understand why. Harry understood he might have been overly cautious, but considering the world he’d just come from, he couldn’t help it. They went to the muggle part of town because Harry insisted that he would only consider taking muggle jobs. 

‘What are you worried will happen? Someone will decide you look too much like James Potter?’ Severus asked as Harry looked for the cheapest shirt that looked decent enough for a job interview. ‘So tell them you’re a relative.’ 

‘With how obsessed some of these people are with bloodlines? Some enthusiastic knob will try to trace my lineage and find I’m not who I say I am, accuse me of blood fraud,’ Harry responded. ‘Really, this is better. You can work on organising in the magical world, me in the muggle world.’ 

‘Organising? Like, a union?’ Severus whispered as Harry went to the checkout with his meagre selection of clothes. It would be enough to start out and get a job. 

‘A union, sure. But more broadly speaking, revolution,’ Harry said with a smile, as if that were just the easiest thing in the world to do. 

\-----

Harry and Severus had moved back to staying at the squat. They sat together eating takeaway from a place Harry had applied for a job. 

‘I swear I’d applied to every place around here with a two mile vicinity. It doesn’t really help much that I have no address or phone number,’ Harry said as he watched Snape dump a container of curry onto his chips. ‘But I got lucky. Someone was quitting as I walked into this place. I’d barely even asked about the job when the manager handed me an apron and a hat.’ 

‘Congratulations. I’m sure you look very dashing in them’ Snape said with a smirk as he pierced his chips with a plastic fork. 

‘I’ll need to figure out how to get a bank account. I don’t have any kind of ID or anything like that,’ he fretted. 

‘You can get documents faked in Knockturn Alley,’ Severus said, as if it were no big deal. ‘But then what? I understand what you’re trying to do, basically, but we’re only two people. Your whole point was that the world doesn’t change just by getting rid of Voldemort. How are just the two of us supposed to dismantle everything that led up to him?’ 

‘I know. And we don’t just have to tear down the old. We have to build something new in its shadow,’ Harry said. 

‘Oh, well, that certainly makes it easier,’ Snape said, sneering, pushing a piece of his lanky black hair behind his ear to reveal a simple garnet stud. It caught the sunlight coming through the window and shone deep red. ‘People like me have been trying this for like a century now, Potter. What are we going to do differently that it’s actually going to work?’ 

‘You’re right, Snape. We’re going to have to do a lot of talking, a lot of getting people on board. And it’s going to seem like the whole world is against us. And loads of people have tried before. We might very well fail and change nothing,’ Harry said with a heavy sigh. ‘But last week, I was certain I was going to die, and I was certain that humanity was screwed. Now we’ve got almost 25 years of a head start to try. And we have to try, even if it’s hopeless. If there’s even a chance to save the world… Not even that, but to create a world where everyone can thrive and no one has to be afraid of starving, or of bullies with too much power running their life. Isn’t that worth fighting for, even if we might fail?’ 

Severus' dark eyes met Harry’s, and Harry could see the uncertainty there. 

‘Could we really do it?’ Severus asked, his soft voice wistful. He wasn’t asking Harry so much as he was wondering aloud. 

‘Not alone. But I believe we can. I believe in us. I believe in humanity.’


	27. Chapter 27

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/169765503@N02/50603195832/in/dateposted-public/)

Day 27: Female Severus Snape 

She’s painting her nails :3 I only used the colours of the trans pride flag in various values to colour this.


	28. Chapter 28

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Day 28: Young Severus Snape

Severus’ family didn’t move to Cokeworth until he was seven. Before that, they lived in Eileen’s place of birth, in Wales. Her family had disowned her, but she continued to make an effort to patch things up with them. They didn’t have much, so they lived in a tiny home near the river. Even though they were living on next to nothing, Tobias was kinder then, and he hadn’t really started drinking. Eileen would catch their dinner in the river.


	29. Chapter 29

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Day 29: Alan Rickman  
It’s Harry and Snape watching Die Hard together on Christmas oops. This was the only way I could think to incorporate Alan Rickman into this challenge😅


	30. Chapter 30

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Day 30: Free Choice

I'll use any excuse to draw Snape in lingerie, oops! 

Thanks for checking out all of my Snape Appreciation month entries! I hope to participate again next year :3


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